The Elemental Nation's Reaper
by alpine992
Summary: Banished from Soul Society Ichigo finds himself not to far from the Village Hidden in the Rain. His adventure takes him to places he never knew. Betrayed by an ally he would have died for, had it come to it, he finds himself turning his back on fights he would have joined if Soul Society hadn't turned there backs on him. Follow Ichigo as he travels the Elemental Nations.
1. Chapter 1

Ichigo was fucking pissed! Not only had he just got his soul reaper powers back but the old man had the nerve to fucking banish him from soul society! If he was going to banish him why the fuck give him his powers back in the first place! There was a whole speech from the old man how central forty-six thought he was to powerful and must be killed. The only reason he was banished was because he had done so much and so many people had pleaded on his behalf to let him live, hell even Soifon tried to help him out. Hell he didn't get to say goodbye to any of his human friends, there was still Riruka to deal with, last he had seen her she had just woken up from being unconscious in Urahara's shop. He growled as he looked around. He had no fucking idea where he was!

"This fucking sucks! I don't know where I am! I don't have any money! I don't even have my body here so nobody will see me! This fucking sucks!" He shouted from where he was standing. "To make it worse! It's fucking raining!" He growled as he looked around the strange area. He could see a city or what looked to be a city from where he was standing in the air. "Maybe I will get lucky and someone will see me over there." He sighed and started to march over to the city not even realizing that there was no ground underneath him just water. When he finally reached the city he was amazed at the structure of the buildings, never had he seen anything like this before. Its architecture is composed of several metallic skyscrapers with rowed ducts connected to them and a maze of power lines surmounting. "Hmm?" Ichigo hummed to himself as he drifted down to a near by walk way. "This is a weird place."

"Look Mommy! That man is talking to himself." A child called out making Ichigo's eyes shoot wide open in shock. How could the boy see him?

"Leave the strange man alone." The mother said before walking away dragging the child by the arm who just waved at the stunned Ichigo. Once again Ichigo was stunned, from what he could tell from the boys reaction and now that everybody near him was staring at him. Everyone could see him.

"Well this is surprising." Ichigo said to himself again. "I should really not talk out loud to myself like this anymore... people might think I'm weird or something." He mumbled as he ran a hand through his wet hair. _"Got to find a place out of the rain."_ He inwardly growled. That was when he noticed something else as he looked at his hand that was covered in water from his hair. "It's heavy." He whispered to himself before looking up towards the sky. He started to walk forward looking for a place he might be able to stay at until the rain stops. He soon found a cover next to what looked to be a small cafe. The old lady gave him an odd look from behind the counter before walking around her walking stick clacking along the ground as she approached him.

"Your not from around here are you boy?" She asked as she stood a few feet from him wary of the sword on his back.

"Yeah I guess." Ichigo said rubbing the back of his head. "Where am I anyway?" He asked and just as the old woman was about to answer he felt something hit his shoulder and he looked to see what it was only to see that it was an angel made out of origami. "What's this thing?"

"Oh. It's Lady Angel. It's said to bring good luck if you hang it out in front of your store." She told him while he looked at the piece of paper. "To answer your previous question your in Amegakure, Hidden rain Village."

"Let me guess." Ichigo growled. "It always rains here?"

"No just on Sunday's and when ever Lord Pain decides to go on a trip outside of the village."

"That's odd." Ichigo said. "Is it somehow man made rain?" Ichigo asked and the old lady just shrugged her shoulders.

"I wouldn't know about all that ninja stuff. If you ask me it's a bunch of hooey!"

"Ninja? Hooey? I have no idea what your talking about Granny. This thing looks like it will only get wet if it stays out here any longer." Ichigo said flicking the piece of paper over his shoulder making the old woman gasp.

"Out! Get out of my shop you damn brat! Don't go messing with other peoples stuff ya here!" She yelled at him while hitting him with her walking stick.

"Stop hitting me you crazy old lady!" Ichigo shouted as he stepped back out onto the street only to see that it had stopped raining. "Huh, oi old lady! Why's the rain stopped?"

"I don't know." She said resting her walking stick back down on the ground. "It's usually rains all day on a Sunday." She shrugged her shoulders and turned away from Ichigo. "You stay out of my shop you here!"

"Yeah, yeah!" Ichigo mumbled before turning and walking away from the small stand he walked along and the rain still hadn't started up again so he thought that his luck might be changing. He had been walking for an hour before once again he started to talk to himself. "So this place is called Amegaknit? No that isn't right. Anaklium? Not that's not right either... hmm."

"Amegakure." A voice said from behind him. "That is the name of this village. You are an intruder here." Ichigo turned to see a woman just a few years older then himself from what he could tell, her hair was blue with an origami flower on the right side of her head. Her eyes were amber which seemed to show no emotion from what Ichigo could tell. On her chin was a labret piercing one underneath her lip in the center of her chin. She wore a red cloak with red clouds on it. "I can not let you live another moment longer. It is the wish of Lord Pain."

"Lord Pain huh? Who's that?"

"Our God." She said and to Ichigo's surprise she disappeared and reappeared behind him with a strange knife at his neck. Ichigo grabbed her forearm and pulled it away from him making her eyes go wide as he took a few steps away from her and turned and looked over his shoulder at her.

"Look lady, I don't want to fight you. I don't like fighting girls so we can just go on our mary ways and do what ever it is that we do. OK?" Ichigo said walking away from her much to her surprise. She charged at him again and this time her blade was stopped by a cleaver that was the same size as her and it was wrapped in bandages.

"_It's like Kisame's."_ She thought to herself. _"Is he some sought of swordsman of the mist too? No Kisame is one of the last, Zabuza died only a month ago, I doubt that they have already had time to organize another swordsman group." _Ichigo was watching her as she was in thought. "Who are you?" She asked him suddenly.

"I do believe it's proper to give your name before asking for another's." Ichigo said pushing her away with Zangetsu.

"My name is Konan." She told him.

"Ichigo Kurosaki." He told her.

"Why are you in this village? You are a powerful foe I can tell. Lord Pain knows this as well. Why are you here?"

"Hey don't get all snappy with me!" Ichigo yelled. "Just because you think your all high and might doesn't mean crap!" Konan was taken back by his attitude.

"Lord Pain wishes to know why someone has infiltrated the village."

"I didn't infiltrate anything! I simply walked in." Ichigo told her not that it was a lie seeing as he had actually walked in, he just walked in a different way then normal people would have. "Look I don't understand what's going on either alright! I'm already in a pissed off mood because I was banished from the Soul Society! I didn't get to say goodbye to my friends so there probably freaking out right about now! So look I don't know what the fucks going on I don't care about this _Lord_ Pain who thinks he's a god! So shut up, let me go my own way and I will leave without kicking your ass! How's that sound!" He yelled at her.

"I do not care for you insulting Lord Pain."

"Fuck Lord Pain! Fuck Lord Pain's cronies and fuck this god damn city! It's always raining I fucking hate the rain!" Konan's eyes narrowed before a kunai found it's way to her hand and threw it at Ichigo only for him to deflect it with Zangetsu.

"_How is he able to move a blade that size so fast, even Kisame can't do that. This boys blade is even bigger then Samehada." _

"Didn't I already tell you that I didn't want to fight a woman? Seriously do you not listen to what anyone says?" Ichigo mumbled as he glared at her.

_**"That's like calling the kettle black Ichigo."**_ Zangetsu told him from his inner world.

_"Huh? Oh i guess your right old man."_

"I cannot defy Lord Pain's orders. You must be eliminated." She charged forward again and to Ichigo's surprise her left arm turned into paper and became sharp objects before shooting off at him. He did his best to deflect them with Zangetsu but a few got through and cut through his soul reaper clothes.

"The hell was that!" Ichigo shouted while pointing a finger at her. "Are you even human! Because I don't think you are!" The paper knives that she had sent past him retracted back to her arm and she stood there with what seemed like anger on her face.

"It is as if you have never seen a ninja before."

"That's because Ninja's are Chinese! I've never been to China! Plus they went out of fashion decades ago! The closest thing I can think of that is a ninja is the stealth force in the soul society and your not wearing those get ups that Soifon gets her squad to wear so I can't say your a member of squad two!" Ichigo shouted at her. She rose a eyebrow in question before she lowered it back down and brought her hand up to the neck of her coat. She un-clipped the clips on the inside making Ichigo's eyes go wide before he turned away. "Don't think you can seduce me you crazy woman!" Ichigo shouted a blush on his cheeks.

"I'm not trying to seduce you. I am merely taking my coat of so that it is easy to fight."

"I already told you I don't want to fight you!" Ichigo shouted at her as he turned around to face her and his face went back to being red. She wore a sleeveless top which revealed her back and the fabric of the clothing wrapping around her neck. It stopped at her stomach and fanned out revealing her stomach and the piercing's she had on her belly button. She also wore a pair of dark pants that extremely tight and it went down to her sandals that were blue with a white covering that went up her leg just underneath her knee. She let the cloak fall to the ground in a heap behind her. "Look I don't much care for fighting woman, but if you force my hand I will defend myself." Ichigo told her.

"Then I best force your hand." She told him before vanishing and appearing in the air behind him already in an axe kick motion which collided with the bandaged Zangetsu. Ichigo pushed her off but when she was in mid air she simply faded into paper.

"The hell?" Ichigo said as he looked around for Konan but couldn't find her. That was when he felt something on his leg and looked down only to see paper holding his legs down and he growled trying to get his feet out but they wouldn't budge. "Your getting on my nerves!" Ichigo shouted as Konan came back to stand before him... well float seeing as she didn't have legs at this present time and Ichigo summed it up to the paper being on his legs.

"That was my purpose." She told him calmly and she watched as he lowered his head and his hair covered his eyes and she watched in awe as the bandages came off his blade and seemed to dissipate into thin air.

"Your going to regret this." Ichigo told her in a dark voice. "I wasn't kidding when I told you I was already in a pissed of mood!" He growled as Konan watched in amazement as the area was filled with a massive light of blue which seemed to originate around him. She pulled the paper off his legs and they returned building back her own legs as she stepped back onto the ground. She watched as his brown eyes began to glow blue and she started to regret getting him to fight, the shear weight of his power was starting to take it's toll on her. She looked down to her hands to see them shaking and her eyes opened wide. She was afraid.

"_How is this possible, I don't sense and chakra from him yet he is controlling a power like I have never seen before." _Her eyes were wide as he lifted Zangetsu high above his head and he was staring directly at her as she felt his power originate in his blade. _"I can't move! What ever he is going to do I can't get out of the way!"_ Her eyes were wide in fear as his mouth opened.

"Getsuga Tensho!" He called out as he slashed down and her eyes went even wider as she saw a wave of blue pure power shot at her with incredible speed. She was frozen in place by fear and as the wave of power came closer she could almost hear Ichigo tell her to get out of the way and before she knew it she felt a warm embrace and noticed that Ichigo had got her out of the way the attack which had split a building in two behind her. "You stupid or something? That would have torn you in half."

"W-Why did you save me?" She asked as he helped her stand up and she went wide eyed at the destruction that a single attack had done. "I forced you to attack me. So why?"

"You weren't going to move." Ichigo told her. "I figured you would easily be able to move out of the way since you were so fast before. I thought showing you a little of my power would make you stop fighting me."

"_That was a little bit of his power!" _She thought as she rounded on him. To simply make an S-class ninja freeze in the face of death with only showing a little bit of power was just unheard of. "Who are you Ichigo Kurosaki?" Ichigo scratched the back of his head as he let Zangetsu rest on his shoulder. "You say you don't know of ninja yet here you are in a ninja village. I don't feel an chakra from you which is odd, there is not even the slightest trace of it which is impossible. You have a strange power."

"Chakra? The hell is that? Is it reiatsu?"

"Reiatsu?" Konan asked. "Is that the power you used?"

"Yeah..." Ichigo told her. "I should get going, sorry that I almost killed you and all." Ichigo told her making her sweat drop slightly. As Ichigo started to walk away sheathing Zangetsu onto his back and the bandages once again wrapping around the blade Konan spoke up again.

"You said you were banished from somewhere." She said and Ichigo stopped and looked over his shoulder at her.

"Yeah what of it?" He asked.

"I'm in an organization where the ones who are members have also been 'banished'." She told him making him raise an eyebrow.

"Your telling me this because?"

"Lord Pain might be interested in you joining." She told him making him sigh.

"I swear to god you mention this Lord Pain guy one more time I will go find him and kick him in his fucking chin." Konan narrowed her eyes once more. "What type of organization is it?" He asked trying to keep things civil.

"It's name is Akatsuki." She told him. "We plan on stopping all war in this world." This actually caused Ichigo to chuckle a little. "What is so funny?"

"Yeah good luck with that." He chuckled as he started to walk off. "Let me know how it turns out." He called out with a hand over his shoulder in a waving gesture only to stop when Konan appeared before him once again.

"Why do you laugh at our goals? Do you not wish to stop war from happening?" Ichigo's face turned even more into a scowl and for the first time Konan actually took in his features. He stood at approximately 5'11'', his spiky orange hair reminding her of a younger Yahiko his weird clothing attire which was mostly all black apart from a thick red strap across his chest. He also had four black vertical lines on his forearms and black, tattoo-like bands crossing over his chest, wrists, and ankles. Similar bands, but with white ends, are around his neck as collars. She took notice of the large cleaver on his back, the hilt had gray wrappings around it with a small length of chain at the hilt she wasn't sure what the chain's purpose really possessed.

"War will always be in the hearts of humans." He told her as he looked off to the side. "There is nothing that can stop that no matter how hard you try." He told her remembering the winter war.

"Does that mean we shouldn't try to find peace for the world? To try and find a way for war to never come again?" She asked him actually showing emotion which surprised him as she had been cold not minutes before. "Look at this village Ichigo, it may rain a lot but it is a peaceful Village. The people here were once torn apart by war until Pain came. He fought and ended the war and brought the end of the civil war on his own. His goal is to do that to all villages to stop war from happening and bring peace to the world."

"Then he's a hypocrite." Her eyes opened wide when she saw Ichigo's hard glare. "What type of person wants peace yet brings war! It doesn't make sense! Think about if you followed through with these things! How many children would be orphaned! How many wives would lose there husbands! How many family's would be torn apart! Every time you take a life it only causes anger to flow through there loved ones. War never changes. It only brings more war." He told her coldly. "Your leader's a fool."

"What about the ones that would suffer more?! Thousands of unmarked graves that would come during a full scale war?! Think how many people would die for petty things! Would this place that banished you even try a peaceful solution before going to war?" She asked him and he narrowed his eyes. They would not. "There is no peaceful solution in these times. War is inevitable. Our goal is to try and change that." Ichigo once again looked up to the sky to see the clouds. "You could help us."

"Sorry not my thing." Ichigo told her.

"At least meet Pain." Ichigo gave her a look.

"And what purpose would that serve exactly? I already told you I'm not going to do it." He told her sternly. "Their not my wars to fight!"

"What if it happens to your village? What if your friends were the one in danger. Would you join us then?"

"That's not going to happen." Ichigo told her before disappearing before her eyes. Konan watched the spot he had disappeared from for a moment before sighing the rain had started up again and she went and picked up her cloak from where it laid on the ground.

"I need to inform Pain about this." She said to herself.

X-X

"Ah! It's so good to get out of that shitty weather." Ichigo smiled as he walked through a forest which he found was incredibly green. It had been a few hours since his encounter with Konan and for some reason, he was compelled to go back and see what the organization was all about. But from what had happened with the Fullbring Xcution he wasn't about to join another organization any time soon. Hell he didn't want ties to anyone at the moment. Everyone he had formed ties with had either left him for dead or he had to abandon them. No point in forming ties if it was going to happen all over again. He didn't know how far from that village he was but from the amount of shunpo he used it would have been over a week's worth of walking if he had actually well walked.

Soon enough he came up to a small village and apparently what was on everyone's lips was something called the Chunnin exams. Some people gave him an odd look before going about there business.

"You there boy! Have you heard?"

"Heard what?" Ichigo asked approaching the old man who had been handing out fliers.

"It's the Chunnin exams in Konoah! It's great for people such as yourself to see the extent of a ninja village really is all about." The old man said handing him a flier. "Go check it out."

"Eh?" He sighed in defeated and taking the flier. Might as well see what Konan was talking about with how ninja villages were always at war with one another. "Which way to this ninja village." He mumbled and the man pointed down the road.

"Just show this flier at the gate and you should get free passage into the village."

"Right." He mumbled before walking off. He didn't see the old man flier before he was replaced by a cloud of smoke that showed a man with black hair and an Akatsuki cloak with onyx eyes.

"This one was the one Konan spoke of. With what is about to happen to Konoah maybe he will see that war needs to change." He said before disappearing in a flock of crows. Ichigo continued walking and soon enough realized that the traffic on the dirt road he had been walking on had increased. Then when the trees started to thin out he saw a massive wall and a gate and his jaw almost dropped.

"That's fucking huge. Please don't make me fight someone like Jidanbo again." He mumbled as he continued to walk forward waiting for the cry's of 'Stop! Fight the guardian of the gate!' He was relatively surprised when a man simply asked him what his business in the village was and let him pass into the busy street of Konoah after showing him the flier. He was surprised to see that the structure of the building's were completely different from what he had seen in this world already. He looked up and his jaw dropped. "T-There's a fucking mountain in this village!" He said in astonishment. A few people gave him a weird look before he shut his mouth setting his scowl back in place and growled and walked off down the main street while looking at the flier. "Say's something about an Arena. Wonder where it is." He glanced around and saw a few people talking and walked up to them. "Ah excuse me." He said making the group of girls look up at him. "I was wandering if you could point me in the direction of the Chunnin arena?"

"Are your a participant?" One of them asked, she was a fair-skinned girl of average height with blue eyes. Her most noticeable trait in her appearance is her long, blonde hair she wore a bun. She also sports a red clip in the left side of her hair. The girl sported an orange t-shirt that had the stylized kanji for the word "boar" inside a light green circle on the upper-left side of the chest, brown shorts, and cream-colored elbow guards.

"Come on Ino I think we would have remembered someone like him." One of the other girls said, what surprised Ichigo about her was that her hair was pink she had large green eyes and fair skin. She wore a red qipao dress with white circular designs, with a zipper, tight dark green shorts, and a forehead protector which she used to accentuate her face

"Yeah I guess your right Sakura." The now named Ino said. "We were just on our way to the arena. We can show you if ya want." Ichigo thought about it for a moment.

"If ya point me in the right direction I should be fine." He told her and the blonde girl nodded.

"If you continue down the main street you will come across a fork in the road, head left and you will come upon the arena." Ino told him and he nodded his head and walked off.

"That guy dressed weirdly." Sakura said and Ino shrugged her shoulders.

"Who cares, seems stuck up to me."

"Your one to talk." Sakura smirked.

X-X

"Fork in the road fork in the road... ah here we are." Ichigo said to himself as he stood between the two roads. "Which way was it again?" He looked down both roads and ran a hand through his hair. "Man I should really start paying attention to what people say to me." He noticed that a large amount of people were heading down the left street so decided to follow thinking that they would lead him to the arena. After a short walk he noticed the arena and walked straight through a large set of doors and two men gave him an odd glance before going back to just talking with one another. "Rude." He mumbled before walking out into a large dirt field. "Great now what?" He asked as he looked around only for his jaw to drop when he realized that he was in the center of the arena. There were a few people standing around and he noticed a man with what looked to be a needle sticking out of his mouth.

"Oi! Are you a participant in the Chunnin exams?" He called out and Ichigo rubbed the back of his head.

"I think I took a wrong turn." Ichigo told him next thing he knew he was barged over by a blonde kid in an orange and blue jumpsuit. "The fuck!" He shouted pushing the kid off him.

"AH! I'm sorry! I didn't see you there!"

"How the hell couldn't you see me ya damn brat!" Ichigo shouted back as they both got on there feet.

"You wanna go mister!"

"Bring it!" Ichigo shouted back before the same man as before stepped between the two of them.

"Enough." He told them. "Naruto go over there with the others and you... go to the stands." He sighed. The now named Naruto and Ichigo glared at one another before turning away. Naruto walked over to the other combatants while Ichigo just simply jumped up into the stands effortlessly. Surprising most. Two sets of eyes watched in amazement from the stands higher then the others.

These people were the Hokage and the Kazekage. Neither of them sensed any chakra from Ichigo which made them wonder how he had jumped to such a high level without even the act of chakra. Even if he had chakra he would have needed at least three platforms to do so. All of them had wide eyes as they watched the orange haired teen take a seat taking the clever off his back and setting it next to him as he yawned and looked down to the arena with what seemed to be boredom.

Soon enough the first match had begun and Ichigo yawned once again, using so many shunpo in such a short amount of time was tiring, plus back in Soul society he had been up for over forty eight hours going over everything with central forty six and the twelve captains. So it didn't really surprise him when his eyes started to get heavy and before he knew it he was sleeping Zangetsu resting next to him. Not knowing what would await him when he awoke.

A loud crash echoed through the arena and Ichigo jolted awake and his eyes opened wide in shock at what was happening around him, everyone around him was unconscious and a few people were fighting one another. He stood up reaching for Zangetsu and was about to unwrap the bandages from the blade by flooding it with his reiatsu but stopped. This wasn't his war. He had told Konan that earlier that day. So he simply placed Zangetsu to his back and headed for the exit.

This was a fight he didn't belong in.

**As you can Tell Ichigo is OC this is what I wanted, he won't get into fights that don't involve him since he no longer wanted to fight for someone who could easily throw him away excatly what Soul Society did to him. I will go into depth about why Ichigo was banashied and why he has changed so much but he won't just step into a fight like he would in Canon. Since I have been trying to find a crossover story where it is Ichigo sent into the Naruto verse and is about Ichigo (Seriosly there is so much that people could write about and havn't) and havn't found all that many I decided to make my own. Akatsuki will play a large part in IChigo's life in the Elemental nations but it will take some time before he actully starts to work with them.**

**Read and Review  
**

**Peace  
**


	2. Chapter 2

Ichigo sighed for the umpteenth time since leaving the village, he had been walking for a few days just randomly in every direction until something would block his path and he would turn and walk in another, if he could estimate how far he had gotten from the village in the last five days, he would probably not even be a full day if he really tried to get back. He was lost, hungry and still pissed off about the whole Soul Society thing. Didn't help that Zangetsu started to tell knock knock jokes with his inner Hollow. It was slowly driving him to the brink of insanity.

"What to do what to do." Ichigo pondered as he walked.

"_**Perhaps you should find a map and find where you are Ichigo." **_Zangetsu said. _**"It will be at least a start."**_

"_With what money?"_ Ichigo questioned. _"It's not like I have any money and if I did I have already seen that this place currency is totally different from home."_

"**Fucking steal it."** His Hollow told him. **"It's not like you will get caught few shunpo here another shunpo there."**

"_I'm not a thief."_ Ichigo growled.

"_**I'm sorry to say this Ichigo but the Hollow has a point. Maybe just until we know more information about this place."**_ Ichigo groaned as his Hollow laughed in amusement.

"**Never thought I would see the day Zangetsu! Haha! You agree with me!"** The Hollow laughed.

"_**I agree with your idea not you. Now. Knock Knock."**_

"Not again!" Ichigo shouted gripping he sides of his head making the surrounding people look at him and he raised his eyebrows and noticed that while he had been talking with Zangetsu and his Hollow he had wandered into a town. _"Now even more people thing I'm a fucking lunatic." _Ichigo looked around and noticed it was a well sized town simple enough. _"I guess I can try it your way Hollow, I won't get anywhere if I don't get a map."_

"**Pick me up a magazine!"**

"_Fuck you ya bastard!"_ Ichigo roared back before he got set on walking more into the busy streets of the town, a few people gave him odd looks or got out of his way as he marched past them with a scowl on his face. _"Now where to find a map..."_ He thought to himself as he looked around. He noticed a small stand and sighed seeing it held maps he quickly glanced around to see if anyone was watching him and used two quick shunpo to appear for less then a second while picking up a map before disappearing again.

Ichigo sighed to himself as he walked over to a bench and sat down and opened the map and his eyes opened wide in surprise. He had an idea he wasn't in Soul Society or Japan anymore but for fucks sake! This was a lot to take in. He looked over the map and put his finger on a small town. "Alright it say's that I'm in a place called Otafuku town in the land of fire." He mused as he traced his finger along a road before he growled.

"I have been wandering around for almost a week and only got fifteen kilometers away from that stupid village!" He growled out. He looked down to the map again and trailed his finger down to a small country in the center of the rest. "That's the Hidden Rain or Amegakure or whatever that woman called it. That's where I rocked up." He mused as he looked up to the sky leaning back. "But... where do I go now?" He questioned himself.

A large explosion rocked a hotel he was seating near and he sighed before turning away but his head shot back as he saw a black cloak with red clouds and looked up to see lighting around a kids arm while one of the members of the Akatsuki held the same arm. There was another member of Akatsuki there as well with a sword almost the same size as Zangetsu.

"What are they doing here?" He asked standing up and pocketing the map. He jumped up onto the building and just simply watched as both members of the Akatsuki turned to him. "So this is what the oh so Akatsuki does huh? Between fending of War they beat up children?" Ichigo asked sarcasm dripping from his words.

"You are Ichigo Kurosaki." The one holding the boys arm said. "Konan spoke highly of you."

"Oh you mean that busty beauty's centerfold?" Ichigo asked and the larger man laughed and Ichigo took a good look at him, his skin was a light blue with gill like markings on each cheek, his eyes were small and round and his teeth were shark like, all his features reminded Ichigo of a shark, his dark blue hair acting as a fin.

"I like you kid." He chuckled.

"Quiet Kisame, if Konan heard you laughing about her..." The other trailed off and the now named Kisame instantly shut up. "My name is Itachi Uchiha."

"I am Kisame Hoshigaki." Kisame introduced himself.

"Ichigo Kurosaki." Ichigo told them. "Now why are you beating up a bunch of brats?"

"I'd like to know the same." Kisame said. "Itachi, we're only after the blonde brat." Ichigo looked over Kisame's shoulder to see Naruto who had run into him at the Chunnin exams.

"Itachi! Die!" Sasuke shouted as he went to punch his older brother.

"Enough." Itachi simply stated before breaking the boys arm with a painful snap making him cry out in pain and Sasuke crumpled to the floor in agony.

"Sasuke!" Naruto shouted before Kisame drew his own bandaged sword making Naruto take a step back.

"Reunion I take it." Ichigo sighed.

"Are you here to take us up on our offer? After seeing what happened in the Leaf?" Itachi asked. "Surely you didn't simply walk out of the village."

"Well... I was going to. Then this weird guy with a music note printed on a head band of some sought attacked this girl in front of me... I kind of just reacted." Ichigo chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "Nice girl though said if I was ever there again that I could get free Ramen." He shrugged. "But after that I walked out, the rest wasn't my fight."

"I see."

"So for the last five day's I have simply been wandering around." Ichigo told him. "Not really sure what I'm going to do next."

"That then asks the question of joining the Akatsuki."

"Yeah... that's not going to happen." Ichigo told him as he saw Itachi raise an eyebrow. "From being banished from the Soul Society not even getting a chance to see my friends before I left... Don't take it the wrong way, but I don't trust you guys."

"Smart." Kisame chuckled. "We're an organization shrouded in mystery."

"Plus the last group I joined up with just wanted to take my power." He growled this time. "They all but succeeded." Ichigo turned to walk away when Kisame spoke again.

"That sword... It wouldn't happen to be a sword from the seven swordsman would it?"

"Uh no." Ichigo said over his shoulder. "This here sword has been with me since the day I was born. Sometimes won't shut up either." He mumbled the last part to himself so the others didn't hear. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh it just reminds me of my own Samehada." He grinned lifting his own bandaged sword and resting it over his shoulder. "Would have been nice to test steel on steel with you. Konan said you were rather good with the blade. Quicker then me even." Ichigo simply shrugged his shoulders and continued to walk away.

"Ichigo." Itachi called out and threw him an envelop which he caught and looked over his shoulder at Itachi. "Konan suspected you didn't know much about this land. She told me to give you that. Just encase. Think of it as a partner ship of sorts with the Akatsuki." Ichigo looked into the envelope to see it was filled with cash.

"Will do." Ichigo said as he walked away.

"We will be in touch." Itachi said turning away and turning to Naruto.

X-X

"That was... different." Ichigo said looking into the envelope before placing it in his pocket.

"_**Perhaps we should leave this town Ichigo, if the authority's get word of what has happened back there they will be looking for a man with a big sword."**_Zangetsu said and Ichigo sighed. _**"It was odd, I sensed something from his sword but it wasn't the spirit of a Zanpakuto."**_

"_You don't say huh?"_ Ichigo questioned as he pulled out the map. _"Where should we go old man?"_ Ichigo asked as he looked down to the map.

"_**I have always wanted to see a waterfall in person."**_ Zangetsu said. **_"Perhaps the land of Waterfalls would be sufficient."_**

"_Better then nothing old man."_ Ichigo said as he folded the map up and placing it away. "Maybe we should get a few supplies before we leave."

"**No shit! King I know your stupid and all but seriously! Get some food, get some equipment and for sake of all that is evil in this world get a root already!"**

"_Shut the fuck up you crazy ass hollow! No one asked you!" _Ichigo roared at his Hollow before continuing to walk down the street and soon found himself in front of a small ninja store. "Guess this will do." Ichigo opened the door and walked into the store and with a ding his presence was alerted to the store owner.

"Oh a customer!" The man behind the counter said with a smile. "We don't get many here since this ain't no ninja village. What can I do for you?"

"Well... I was looking to get a few supplies. If this is a place I can do that."

"Sure as sure can be! Now what are you looking for kunai? Shuriken? Ninja wire? You name it we got it."

"A tent?" Ichigo asked and the man faltered for a moment.

"Yeah we got them too, but you will need weapons won't you? Come on say you will by some." He pleaded. "We don't get many customers and it's rare when we do."

"_**Perhaps a wooden sword Ichigo."**_

"_Huh why old man?"_

"_**Taking from our experience with Konan."**_ His Hollow chuckled at the innuendo Zangetsu's words held. **_"A lot of people, if they were to fight you, would freeze up if you were to unleash some of your power with me in your hand. A wooden sword would not kill them but leave them injured enough to not be a bother."_**

"_Yeah I guess your right."_ Ichigo responded before looking up at the store owner who had pleading eyes. "Ah... a wooden sword."

"Right away sir! Would you like the essentials in a medical kit? Maybe some basic supply's, food pills, lock picks, you name it we have it!" He cheered, Ichigo sighed as the man tried to sell him more supplies, this guy was worse then Urahara.

"Ah is there something that has all of that in it?" Ichigo asked and the man's eyes lit up.

"Yes! Original to our store only! Because I put it together." He mumbled the last part. "This highly resistant backpack!" He shouted holding up a simple blue bag. "It has a large medical kit two sets of kunai and shuriken, a jar of food pills, a set of exploding paper tags with many more! All for cheap just for you sir!"

"Plus the sword how much will that all cost?" Ichigo asked as he pulled the envelope out.

"Eight thousand Ryo for you! Cheap price just for you." Ichigo pulled out the wad of notes and looked them over and flicked his fingers through and handed the man the money who nodded his head in thanks and walkde into the back to get his sword as Ichigo looked through the backpack that was sitting up on the bench.

"**I bet I could have got it for cheaper."**

"_**I do believe that it was a fine deal."**_

"**What you never learned to haggle King!"**

"_Just shut up the both of you!"_ Ichigo growled as he zipped up the back pack and slung the one band of the bag over his head so it went diagonally across his chest.. _"It's already paid for."_ The man came out and handed Ichigo a simple wooden sword and Ichigo grabbed it and slipped it through the white belt surrounded his waist.

"Anything more I can do for you?" The man asked.

"Yeah one more thing." Ichigo said. "Which way to the land of Waterfalls?"

**Alright quick chapter this time but the next one should be longer. I'm surprised that this story has got so many reviews so far, almost twenty reviews for the first chapter, I think that's a first for me I could be wrong so don't hold me to it. Ichigo turned down the Akatsuki once more and has picked the interest of Itachi. I do plan to have Ichigo travel with a few people and if you know what's in the land of waves you might be able to pick up who's the first companion will be. He won't simply look for companions they will just simply follow him much to his distaste. There will only be a few around two or three. Hope you enjoyed the chapter no matter if it was short or not. I feel that the start with Itachi and Kisame passed too quickly but let me know. On another note Ichigo will not learn to use Kunai or Shuriken. **

**Read and Review**

**Peace**


	3. Chapter 3

Ichigo had been walking for a few days now and he was actually starting to calm down about the whole mess about Soul Society banishing him, but he didn't think he could ever forgive them. Sure there were some friends in Soul Society that had nothing to do with his banishment and he held nothing against them but central forty six and all the higher ups that he had fought for to protect. He would never forgive them.

They took his family and friends away from them just like Tsukishima had done... but this time there was no getting them back. All the full bringer had done was change everyone's memories but what Soul Society had done was unforgivable. They took his family and friends, something they had no right to do. Just because they feared him didn't mean they could simply destroy his life, he couldn't forgive them even if he tried. His family was to precious to him.

Ichigo didn't notice that the landscape around him was changing as he walked deep in thought, mostly about how his sisters would have reacted when he had disappeared, even his old man and friends. He shook his head, those thoughts would only get in his way, to bring him down into a depression like when he first fought the Arrancar and was losing control of his Hollow.

"**Oh those were the good times."** His Hollow laughed but was ignored by both Zangetsu and Ichigo. Ichigo was snapped out of his musings as he heard the crashes of a waterfall and he looked up to see a massive waterfall flowing into a river he had been walking by.

"There you are old man, there's a waterfall for you." Ichigo smiled.

"_**Thank you Ichigo, it is much appreciated."**_ Ichigo removed Zangetsu from his back and struck it into the ground by a rock and removed his wooden sword from his waist and laid it against the rock and sat down removing his backpack and putting it in front of him. He watched the waterfall for a time before turning to his bag and opened it pulling out the contents that the shop owner had packed into it. He looked over the the weapons and rubbed his head not knowing what to do with them, he was more of a direct fighter and not throwing things so these would more then likely not come in handy at all.

He put the kunai and shuriken to the side and continued to look through the contents of the bag, he looked at the food pills and scowled they tasted like shit, but had actually kept his energy up so he couldn't complain to much but real food would be good at any time. He put them away from the projectile weapons on the other side of the bag and returned to the contents pulling out a large roll of ninja wire and looking at it closely before standing up and walking over to Zangetsu all the while un-stringing some of the wire and running it down the blade of Zangetsu, after a while it was cut underneath the pressure but it would be enough if he needed to tie someone up with it.

"**Hehe, I bet some ladies would love that!"** His Hollow roared in laughter and Ichigo heard Zangetsu sigh as he returned to his seat and saw the old man cloaked in black, appear standing on the hilt of his sword in the real world looking at the waterfall.

"_**I do not know how you do it Ichigo."**_ Zangetsu said from his perch. **_"I would have gone insane by now."_**

"Oh I'm plenty insane old man." Ichigo smiled lightly. "I just have you to keep me company. That's more then enough to keep me somewhat sane." He noticed a small smile form on the old man's face before he got back to looking through the bag. He pulled out the canteen of water and placed it down next to the food pills and ninja wire and went back to the bag and pulled out a stack of paper and he furrowed his eyebrows at them. He had no idea what they were or how they worked, he remembered the man at the shop mentioning something about exploding tags but he had no idea how they worked. He had tried to flow his reiatsu through it but nothing happened so he gave up on the idea and placed them down next to the weapons.

He pulled out the medical kit next and opened it, it held the essentials like bandages and some pain killers along with disinfectant and several different scalpels along with a variety of other medical supplies, he was lucky that over the seventeen months his dad had pulled him into the clinic for shift work from time to time so he knew the basics about first aid. He closed the medical kit and placed it in the pile he had planned on keeping and went back into the contents of the bag. There wasn't much left in the bag but he pulled the last thing from the bag and raised an eyebrow. It was writing materiel, an ink well along with a scroll and brush.

"_**Perhaps you may want to write a journal."**_ Zangetsu said.

"Not likely old man." Ichigo said cracking a grin. "Not my style."

"Fu thinks it's for sealing." A voice said from behind him and both Zangetsu and Ichigo looked over there shoulders to see a petite girl that looked around fifteen or sixteen years old. She wore an orange clip in her short, spiky mint green hair that matched her eye color, which was also orange. Her outfit consisted of a short sleeveless white midriff shirt with fishnet armor underneath, long white armlets, and fishnet shorts with a short white apron skirt over it. Her forehead protector was worn on her right arm. She also carried a cylindrical object in red wrapping on her back, the purpose of which Ichigo didn't know.

"Sealing?" Ichigo asked not even a little surprised that this girl had seemingly come out of no where. "Seal what?" The girl looked at him from where she was standing, she didn't know what to do about this orange haired teen who was obviously older then her, he wasn't surprised that she had seemingly snuck up on him and had been watching him since he had sat down near the river and was even more surprised when a man had simply appeared on the end of the sword that was sticking out of the ground.

"Fu doesn't know." The girl said with a shrug. "Fu is not a sealing master." She told him.

"_Seriously? She's speaking in third person? This girl is strange."_ Ichigo thought as he watched the girl simply watching him with no emotion on her face. "So... uh your names... Fu?" Ichigo asked awkwardly making the girls eyes shoot wide open in surprise.

"Fu want's to know how you know that!" She shouted making Ichigo face palm. "Fu didn't tell you her name!"

"Alright! Calm down already!" Ichigo shouted back and he took notice of how she winced when he shouted. "You speak in third person." He said calmly. "You use your name in your sentences." The girl's eyes opened wide again.

"Oh... so that's how you knew Fu's name was Fu."

"Yes." Ichigo simply said.

"Your so smart!" She said excitedly as she ran over to him and sat down in front of him and looked up at him. "Fu want's to know your name."

"Ichigo. Ichigo Kurosaki." He told her.

"Fu is just Fu!" She smiled holding out her hand. "It's a pleasure Ichigo Kurosaki. Fu is pleased to meet you."

"Just Fu huh?" Ichigo asked taking her hand and she nodded her head with a smile. "Say can I ask you something else?"

"Fu will answer all she can!" She told him and he nodded his head as he reached over to the exploding tags.

"What are these things and how do they work?" He asked and she took them from him before looking over them at Ichigo.

"These are exploding tags." She told him. "Fu has her own see." She finished as she reached into her pouch pulling out an exact set of papers and handed it to Ichigo. "You apply chakra and they go boom."

"Chakra huh?" Ichigo said remembering that Konan had said that he had no chakra. "I guess you can have them then, I won't need them." Fu's eyes opened wide in response.

"Your giving Fu a present?" She asked.

"Sure if you want to think of it that way." Ichigo told her. "You might as well take these too." He said handing her the kunai and shuriken. Fu looked at him with wide eyes before she launched herself at him.

"Fu has never received a gift before! Ichigo is Fu's first friend!" She shouted as she clung to him and Ichigo looked up to Zangetsu who was chuckling lightly at the scene before turning back to look at the waterfall. "Fu is so happy!"

"Alright alright stop clinging now, geez I thought someone who is your age should know not to do things improper." Ichigo said pushing her away. "Your what? Fourteen Fifteen?"

"Fu is sixteen."

"Doesn't matter." Ichigo said.

"**Sixteen? With a chest that size no wonder you got her age wrong. Look at Orihime, she was what fourteen when those melons popped out?"** His Hollow grinned.

"You should not be doing improper things like that at all." Ichigo told her and she nodded her head.

"Fu will do her best Ichigo-sensei."

"Huh?" Ichigo asked confused making Fu tilt her head to the side wandering what he was going on about.

"Fu is confused."

"Your confused? You just called me Sensei!"

"Fu has never had a Sensei before. Ichigo-sensei shall be Fu's first Sensei!"

"Say's who!"

"Say's Fu!"

"I'm not your Sensei Fu!" Ichigo shouted.

"Yeah you are! You teach Fu things!"

"I can't teach you anything I don't even know what chakra is!"

"Fu knows all about chakra." She smiled up at him. "Ichigo-sensei can teach Fu about everything else."

"Everything else?" Ichigo asked confused and Fu nodded her head. "Like what?"

"Improper and proper things." She continued to smile.

"I don't even know anything about you Fu."

"Fine!" She shouted standing up and walking away making Ichigo watch her confused before she turned around. "Fu's name is Fu and Fu is sixteen. Fu likes waterfalls and small beetles. Fu dislikes her village and big scary beetles. Fu's dream is to do what Fu want's to. Fu's chest size is an A-cup and Fu want's to travel with Ichigo-sensei, Fu also want's to know who the dark cloaked man is laughing at her and Ichigo-sensei. Also why does Fu like the color orange? Is it because her eyes are orange? Fu doesn't know." She shrugged and Ichigo sweat dropped as Fu totally got lost in her own greeting. "Ichigo's turn to greet Fu." She smiled at him gesturing for him to greet her the same way.

"_**My name is Zangetsu Fu, it is nice to meet you. I am Ichigo's own Sensei."**_

"Oh!" Fu exclaimed turning to the Zanpakuto spirit. "Sensei to my own Sensei! That must make you..." She trailed off. "My Grand Sensei!" Ichigo slapped his face as Fu ran circles around Zangetsu who merely chuckled at the girl.

"**Dude... run." **His Hollow told him.

"_What leave Zangetsu here to deal with... that?"_ Ichigo asked watching the two.

"**Every war has it's losses."** Ichigo nodded sagely before Fu ran over to him and pulled him up.

"Your turn Ichigo-sensei!" She shouted with a grin on her face. "Greet Fu!"

"Ah... well..." Ichigo looked to Zangetsu for help but he simply just chuckled. "Fine." He growled. "My name is Ichigo Kurosaki. I am seventeen years old. I like..." He thought for a moment thinking about what he did like. "I like... uh... I like fighting I guess. I hate the rain." He growled. "Dislike a large majority of people especially an albino copy cat!"

"**That hurts me Ichigo."**

"My dream is to protect all that is precious to me." Ichigo told her and Fu smiled up at him with wide eyes he almost thought he could see stars in them.

"Ichigo-sensei is so cool!"

"Now Fu."

"Fu is listening Ichigo-sensei!" Fu exclaimed.

"I am not your Sensei!" HE growled.

"Sure you are Ichigo-sensei. Fu is so glad to have you as her Sensei! What are you going to teach me first!" Ichigo sighed. This was going to be a long day explaining to Fu that he was NOT her Sensei

**Sorry another short chapter but I feel like I should just start with a few short chapters before I start on the more longer chapters but I will try to increase the size of the chapters as soon as I can. I do hope I portrayed Fu alright, I actually don't know her personality at all anything really about her apart from that she's a Jinjuriki and that she's from the land of waterfalls which isn't much to go on sadly. I know she doesn't like people a lot and that she hates her village but most of my experience from her comes from Fan Fiction and yeah, so I just decided to maker her how I thought she would act, I'm not saying that this is how she acts or nothing but this is just the way I am portraying her.**

**As you can probably see I have no idea what the hell Ichigo likes... if anything. I will try to make the next chapter longer for you guys but I just wanted to get the meeting with Fu and Ichigo out of the way. **

**Read and Review**

**Peace**


	4. Chapter 4

Ichigo's eyebrows twitched as he sat cross legged with his eyes closed in front of a smiling Fu who was sitting in the same way straight in front of him with wide eyes and a massive grin on her face. Zangetsu was simply watching the waterfall on top of his physical sword form with a pleasant smile on his face. Ichigo could swear he saw Fu's orange eyes sparkle as she watched him try to relax which was all but impossible as Fu sat there staring at him.

"**You take the leg's to the east I'll take the head to the west and Zangetsu can take the torso to the North. No one will ever know she's gone if they do they won't know that we were the one's who disposed of her or where to find her. The perfect murder."** The Hollow told Ichigo making him twitch once again from the voice inside of his head. The two of them had been sitting like this for almost two hours and Fu was waiting for anything to happen, anything at all and nothing had yet to happen so she was continuing to wait. Ichigo cracked an eye open and once again saw the grinning face of Fu. He sighed before opening both his eyes.

"I'm not your Sensei." Ichigo said.

"Yes you are!" She grinned again. "I bet Fu could learn tons of stuff from you Ichigo-sensei!" Ichigo sighed once more before leaning forward and resting his head in his hand propped up on the chin.

"Don't you have friends to go an annoy?" Ichigo asked and for a split second he saw pain flash through her eyes, he had almost missed it.

"Nope!" She cheered. "Ichigo-sensei is all I need now!" Ichigo narrowed his eyes as he looked at the girl in front of him.

"Family?" She shook her head. "Family Friends?" She shook her head. "Neighbors?" She shook her head.

"There has to be someone you talk too." Ichigo said and this time the pain was clearly set in place.

"Nobody wants to talk to Fu... their all afraid of Fu." She told him. "Fu doesn't need them anyway." She growled as she looked down at the ground beside her. "If no one wants to talk to Fu, Fu doesn't want to talk to them." She continued with anger in her voice. Ichigo narrowed his eyes once more at the down cast face of the girl he had known only for a short few hours curse the village she lived in. He wandered what else they had done to her to make her this way, just dismissing her like she was nothing wouldn't bring her to hate them this much... would it? He cast a side glance to Zangetsu who looked out of the corner of his eye at Ichigo before disappearing from the tip of his sword back into Ichigo's mind scape. Ichigo stood up bringing Fu's attention back to Ichigo as he walked over to Zangetsu and picked the blade up and placed it on his back. "Ichigo-sensei?"

"Fu, stand up." The girl did what she was asked. "I want you to take me to your village." Her eyes opened wide in shock.

"Fu... Fu can't do that Ichigo-sensei." Fu told him hanging her head. "It's against the rules."

"Fu." Ichigo said calmly making her look up to him as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Nothing will happen to your village. I promise." He smiled, she quiet for a time before looking up at him and smiled.

"Fu can do that Ichigo-sensei." She smiled and he nodded his head as she walked over to the waterfall that Zangetsu had been staring at for a large amount of the afternoon. Fu ran through a series of hand signs at almost an impossible speed and Ichigo watched in amazement as the water and the earth behind the water fall split revealing a canyon in between and water of the river started to flood into the canyon. Ichigo just stood there in surprise as Fu looked over her shoulder with a smile before she stepped onto the water's surface and began to run along the water that had filled the small canon into the darkness. "Great not only can ninja split a waterfall and a fucking mountain but they can also run on water. What else am I missing?"

"**Can't tell you what your missing but that girl may lack in the tit department but damn she has a nice arse!"**

"_Shut up."_ Ichigo growled before running off after Fu while she applied chakra to her feet Ichigo simply used reiatsu to apply to his own and in a sense it did the same thing jus the was running on the air above the water and not the water itself. Ichigo ran into the darkness and after a short while of running Fu's silhouette could be seen against the light on the other side of the canyon and she had stopped to wait for him. Ichigo jogged the last ten or fifteen feet and stopped beside her and looked around and was amazed. In the center of a giant river was the biggest tree he had ever seen.

The entire village was surrounded by a massive wall and if you looked at the village from a birds eye view you would only see the massive tree and nothing that laid beneath it, seemingly as if there was nothing there but more trees mixed within the surrounding trees. Fu walked forward and Ichigo followed after her looking around as he did so as they passed small farms where the farmers looked up to see who had entered the village. When they saw Fu they either scowled or cursed underneath their breath making Ichigo narrow his eyes.

"_**Something isn't right here Ichigo."**_ Zangetsu said and Ichigo mentally nodded as he followed Fu to the giant lake.

"Who's the one in charge Fu?" Ichigo asked and noticed that Fu wasn't listening but watching children play off to the side with a small from on her face. He watched her for a moment before the children became aware of the lingering eyes and turned to see Fu and a man clad in black. The children screamed 'Monster' and ran off making Fu wince and turn away before she felt Ichigo's hand on her shoulder. "Fu, where is your leader?" Fu looked up to Ichigo before pointing to the top of the tree and Ichigo nodded his head. "Stay here." Fu looked to Ichigo and before she knew it Ichigo had jumped into the air and seemingly flew off into the tops of the trees much to her shock. She just stood there watching.

Ichigo landed with a thud and the surrounding people gasped in shock as he raised to full height before they brandished there own weapons ready to attack if this man was a threat. Ichigo scowled at them before pulling out his wooden sword ready to attack if they did.

"Enough." A timid almost unnoticeable voice called out and Ichigo along with the others looked back to see a young boy probably fifteen at most if not younger, the boy had ink black eyes and had long, dark brown hair. He also wears a forehead protector symbolizing his shinobi status. He wore gray pants, a green shirt, and ninja sandals.

"Oi! You in charge here!" Ichigo growled marching forward making more of the Hidden Waterfall shinobi block his path.

"Y-Yes... what is it I can do for you?" The boy asked.

"It's about Fu." There were gasps from the crowd before it finally silenced. Ichigo glared at every single person in the room and none of them could meet his eyes. "Why the hell does your village treat her like this!" He shouted in rage. "What the hell did that girl do to any of you!"

"Your nothing but an insolent brat who doesn't know what he's talking about!" An old man growled as he walked forward only to be met with the angry eyes of Ichigo and the tip of his wooden sword.

"I may have a wooden sword old man." Ichigo glared. "But your old and if I hit you hard enough I can and will break every bone in your body." The old man gulped before taking a step back as he saw Ichigo's look in his eyes.

"Now answer my question!" He yelled rounding on the young boy that appeared to be the leader of the village. "Now tell me." He growled.

"She's a Jinjuriki." The boy said. Ichigo gave him a blank look which made the boy sigh. "A vessel for a demon, sealed in her at birth."

"So what?" Ichigo asked. "What does that have anything to do with the way you treat her?"

"It just is!" The old man in front of him shouted before he was knocked to the floor by Ichigo's wooden sword, no one saw Ichigo move.

"That is no excuse!" He growled down at the man. "Your nothing but a bunch of fucking power hungry fools! When you have the power you don't know what to do with it! So you treat her like dirt! She hates every single one of you! I have known her for a little over two hours and I can tell that she is hurting, she hates everyone in this village, I wouldn't be surprised if she hates humanity all together because of what you fools did to her!"

"That demon killed villages in it's rampages since the first shinobi war! When it's jailer dies it goes on a rampage and lives of our villages are sacrificed before it is sealed again."

"Exactly!" Ichigo shouted. "The demon did it not Fu!" He shouted in rage his eyes turning blue. "You bastards made that girl a scape goat! How long have you beaten her how long have you tormented her, how long have you pathetic useless **humans brought your rage down on her!"** Ichigo shouted his left eye starting to turn black as his reiatsu flooded the room.

"Ichigo-sensei! Stop it!" Fu shouted as she barged through the door tears in her eyes. Everyone turned to look at her and Ichigo calmed down.

"This girl... no... this savior holds that demon at bay every day of her life." He spoke shocking the green haired girl. "You beat her, you shun her. How does that make you any better then the demon sealed within her?" Ichigo asked and all present in the room stayed quiet. "People like you make me glad that I was banished from Soul Society." He whispered to himself, as he sheathed the wooden sword in his belt. "Treat this girl with the respect she fucking deserves." He said before walking towards the wide eyed Fu who just watched him approach her.

"Ichigo-sensei..." She breathed out as he rested a hand on her shoulder and smiled at her.

"I hope your life is better then the one you have been living." He told her and walked out the door. She watched him walk out of the office and turned to the shinobi in the room before dashing out of the office.

X-X

"I must say I feel better." Ichigo yawned as he spread his arms out and walking down the river he had followed earlier that day but this time following it in the other direction. "Sorry we didn't stay longer Zangetsu."

"_**It's no problem Ichigo. It is of no consequence."**_ Ichigo nodded his head at the old man's words and rolled his shoulder that harnessed the strap of the back pack. **_"Where will you head now Ichigo?"_**

"Don't know yet old man." Ichigo said reaching into his pocket and pulling out his map. "I wonder what would be a nice place to visit. Hmm."

"Fu has always wanted to see the Hidden Cloud Village."

"You have, have you?" Ichigo asked and Fu nodded her head. "Wait..." Ichigo trailed off. "What the hell are you doing here!" Ichigo shouted pointing a finger at the mint haired girl who smiled up at him.

"Fu told you Ichigo-sensei." She told him. "Fu is going to travel and learn from Ichigo-sensei. Just like Fu explained."

"Go home."

"Fu is going with Ichigo-sensei and that's final! To the Hidden Cloud Village!" She shouted and marched forward. Ichigo looked to see her smiling happy as she walked forward and sighed. He knew he was going to regret this.

"I'll take you to the Hidden Cloud Village and then we will part ways there. Alright?"

"If you think Fu will do that. OK then." She smiled back at him and he gave her a confused look before shrugging and following after her. They walked for a few hours in silence with Fu shooting Ichigo a few glances making his eye twitch from time to time while they walked. It was another hour of walking before Ichigo couldn't take it anymore.

"What is it!?" He growled making her turn to him with a smile.

"Huh?"

"You keep looking at me, what is it?"

"Oh... Fu thinks your weird." Ichigo sweat dropped. "Fu means that you only have known Fu for a few hours but you marched into Fu's village and stood up for Fu. Why would Ichigo-sensei do something like that? For someone he just met?" Fu asked making Ichigo sigh before he rested his hand on her head.

"Don't worry about it." He told her with a rare smile. "There are some things one just has to do. Remember that."

"Yes Ichigo-sensei!" She saluted with a grin.

"And stop calling me that!" He growled.

"No can do Ichigo-sensei, for one who teaches is a Sensei! Just like Grand Sensei Zangetsu!" Ichigo heard the old man chuckling while his Hollow just rolled his eyes.

"**Perhaps you can teach her something King, how not to be a fucking child."**

"_**It would seem that she knows when to act childish and when not to. She just needs to learn more about the outside world away from her village when she was shunned."**_ Ichigo sighed.

"_Doesn't mean I have to be the one to teach her things, hell I'm the most disrespectful person I know."_ Ichigo said to his inner spirits making them chuckle lightly.

"_**At least teach her between right and wrong."**_ Zangetsu told him. **_"If only for a while."_**

"Ichigo-sensei? You in there?"

"Huh? What?" Ichigo asked looking down at the girl in front of him.

"You zoned out Ichigo-sensei, by the way where is Grand Sensei Zangetsu? Fu didn't get to say goodbye to him." She said looking around.

"Trust me." Ichigo smiled before starting to walk with Fu by his side. "He's always close."

"Whoa, Ichigo-sensei is cryptic. So cool!" Ichigo sighed before rubbing his brow. "Now teach Fu." Ichigo sighed once more before starting to talk about what was proper and not, Fu listening intently to what he was saying. When night was near they both set up camp and Fu had caught some rabbits in a trap she set while she set up her tent while Ichigo had set up his own.

While they were cooking a pleasant silence fell over the camp while the rabbits cooked over the fire. Ichigo had kept his eyes on Fu most of the time she was with him and was surprised when she asked small questions as to why there were such things as flowers, he knew he didn't have the answers to some of her questions but he did his best to answer the questions he could. It was like she had barely left the village at all and when she did she didn't do anything apart from fight.

"Fu." Ichigo said from where he was sitting making the young girl look up to him. "Why do you speak in third person?"

"Fu... I like my name." She smiled at him. "It was the name my Mama and Papa gave me, the only thing I have left of them. So I use it as much as I can." Ichigo nodded his head and rested back against the tree he was sitting at. "Your parents passed I guess?" Fu nodded her head.

"When Fu was born Mam died in child birth while Papa fought the seven tails before it was sealed within Fu." She told him. "Fu only has a picture to remind her of them. Does Ichigo-sensei have a family?"

"Yes." He smiled softly as he stared into the flames that flickered underneath the rabbits. "A father and two sisters. My mother passed when I was younger."

"Fu always wanted to have siblings." She told him.

"Karin and Yuzu we're their names. Karin was smart but not as smart as Yuzu, she thinks everything is annoying and boring and doesn't show her feelings very much. Yuzu was the smartest of us three. She would have loved you the second she met you." He chuckled lightly remembering Yuzu's reactions to Orihime and how the two got along well.

"Fu would like to meet your sister some day Ichigo-sensei." Fu smiled.

"Sorry Fu... that's no longer a possibility." Ichigo told her making her look to him. "I was banished from a place that was the only way I could get home."

"Fu is sorry."

"Don't worry about it Fu." Ichigo told her. "I'm starting to come to terms with it. I will always hold the memories of them like you hold the photo's of your parents." Ichigo told her with a smile and she nodded her head with a smile of her own.

"That's it!" Fu exclaimed suddenly making Ichigo raise an eyebrow at the girl.

"What's what?" Ichigo asked.

"Fu will marry Ichigo-sensei and make a family with Fu." Ichigo's jaw dropped at the idea Fu had suddenly come up with and she started to take her shirt off.

"Now what are you doing!" He shouted a blush covering his face.

"Fu wishes to make a family with Ichigo-sensei, this is how one does it right?" She asked with her head tilted to the side the shirt hem resting around her upper stomach with her hands gripping the sides.

"Fu, put your clothes back on."

"But..."

"Do it now Fu!" Ichigo shouted as he turned around his hands on his knees breathing heavy. "That is very improper Fu!"

"Sorry Ichigo-sensei." Fu chuckled lightly rubbing the back of her head. "Kind of got caught up in the moment."

"You don't say." He mumbled as she chuckled.


	5. Chapter 5

"It would appear Ichigo Kurosaki has made contact with the Seven tails."

"**She is traveling with him."**

"That ones mine! What the hell does that kid think he's doing un!"

"Ichigo doesn't know our plan with the Bijuu." Konan spoke from her fingertip as she looked over the room and the nine other figures shrouded in darkness the only way she could tell was from the distinct characteristics of each member that stood on there own individual fingertip. The red Sharingan eyes of Itachi Uchiha. The purple Rinnegan eyes of Pein. The large blade on the back of Kisame. The small slumped over figure of Sasori. The three pronged scythe on Hidan's back along with his foul language. The plant like figure of the two faced Zetsu. The long hair of Deidera and the stiffening posture of Kakuzu.

"How could you be so sure?" Sasori asked. "He has met with three of us already. Turned us down twice for a position among us. Now he is with the seven tails."

"There is something about that boy." Itachi said and Kisame stood next to him and nodded his agreement. "I just can't put my finger on it."

"Yeah, he had an aura about him. Quite humors if I do say so myself." Kisame chuckled and Itachi looked out of the corner of his eye at the man standing close to him almost as if to send him a warning while Kisame broke out into full blown laughter while Itachi sighed. He had warned the man about not to bring this up.

"What is it?" Pein asked.

"Oh just the way he cracked a joke about Konan is all." Kisame said wiping a tear from his eye. "Called her..."

"Enough Kisame." Itachi scolded. "I apologize on my partners behalf." Itachi said with a low bow. Everyone looked towards Konan who folded her arms and gave them a hard gaze before they looked away.

"I wonder what the fucker could have said." Hidan said to himself.

"Quiet Hidan." Kakuzu scolded. "That is not why we're gathered here, if you wanted to talk about Konan's personal life do it on your own time and not with me."

"Konan, Itachi, Kisame. The three of you have made direct contact with Ichigo Kurosaki. What do you think of him?"

"I believe he has the strength to join our cause. Even though he sees our ultimate goal in a different light." Konan spoke.

"Speaking of which what the fuck is our ultimate goal?" Hidan asked as he folded his arms.

"Not now Hidan." Pein said silencing him. "Go on Konan."

"He is incredibly powerful, from what I have already tested of him."

"What the little strawberry make you quake in your heels?" Hidan smirked.

"Very much so." This silenced everyone, they knew Konan was strong, stronger then most in there organization. There was a reason why her and Pain were paired together, it was because the two of them were said to be the strongest of the Akatsuki. "With a simple attack that had destroyed a building, he had me shaking in fear." Konan told them. "It was incredible."

"Mustn't be that strong then, your still here."

"The only reason I am still standing here is because Ichigo saved me from his own attack." This shocked the others once more. "He thought because I had displayed my speed beforehand that I would be able to move out of the way. He didn't expect me to freeze in fear of his attack. He also wields a blade much the same of Kisame's Samehada. But he can be incredibly fast with it, faster then Kisame."

"He walks with it on his back." Itachi continued. "Almost as if it weighs nothing to him."

"I would agree." Konan told them. "He seems rather innocent as well."

"Why would you say that?" Kakuzu asked.

"As I was taking my cloak off to fight him easier with more movability, he thought I was trying to seduce him and he turned away." Konan told them and Kisame once again burst out into laughter holding his sides as he did so. Everyone once again turned to the former member of the hidden mist swordsman and waited until his cries of laughter died down, they even noticed a small smirk appear on Itachi's face when Konan had told them that Ichigo was innocent enough to turn around, what he found funny was that even though he had turned around he had caught enough to make a comment about Konan's bust size.

"I do wish to know what Ichigo said that was so funny." Konan snapped bringing everyone's attention back to her.

"Maybe not..." Itachi said his face back to being neutral.

"Enough." Pein ordered. "Ichigo Kurosaki at the moment is not a threat to us or our plans. When the time comes to it we will deal with the seven tails as the situation requires. Itachi and Kisame, if you can. Recruit Ichigo. This meeting is over." Pain said before disappearing. Konan glared at Kisame and Itachi before following Pein by disappearing. When Itachi and Kisame disappeared and opened their eyes on the outside Kisame chuckled while Itachi sighed.

"I thought I told you not to bring it up." Itachi said.

"Yeah I know, I just couldn't help it." Kisame chuckled.

"Loud and brash as always Kisame. Come let's go. We should find where Ichigo is heading so we may see what he has planned for the seven tails and as for joining the Akatsuki." Kisame nodded his head and both stood up before walking off.

X-X

"So you call this thing a bingo book right?" Ichigo asked as he looked down at the small black book he pulled out of the pocket of the bandit he just knocked out while Fu nodded her head. "What's with the list of names and photo's?"

"If you take the person into a police station or a bounty collection office you get money." Fu smiled as she poked the man with her finger. "So Fu is told." Ichigo looked back to the little black book and flicked through the pages before shrugging his shoulders and pocketing the book.

"Come on let's go we can't be to far from the Hidden Cloud Village." Ichigo continued as he started to walk away and Fu jumped up and started to follow him again. For the last week and a half they had been wandering towards the Hidden Cloud Village after a few people gave them directions they slowly made there way towards the village. They hadn't really set a steady pace at all Fu constantly stopped if she found something interesting before asking Ichigo a series of questions before it got out of hand and Fu trying to take her clothes of to make a family with Ichigo which he simply face palmed told her to stop it, put her clothes back on so they could continue. He was outstanding how she hadn't got the message yet. But he had to admit one thing.

Fu was fun to be around. She reminded him of Orihime.

They had been walking along a path on the side of a mountain and had been walking through the clouds for some time and neither really noticed the upcoming structures built into the side of the mountains surrounding the one's they were on. Fu looked around and smiled as she pointed over to a mountain.

"Look Ichigo-sensei! There are the gates."

"Your telling me we're climbing the wrong mountain?" Ichigo asked through a sigh which made Fu chuckle nervously.

"You can get us over there right?" Fu asked and Ichigo nodded his head before wrapping his arm around the girls shoulder and she latched onto him at the waist and buried her head into his kimono making him chuckle lightly before jumping into the air with a squeal from Fu as she looked down. "Don't drop Fu!" She shouted at him before Ichigo stopped seemingly standing on air. He pushed Fu away from him as she gripped onto his arms with wide eyes as she looked around trying to get back to Ichigo.

"Fu calm down." Ichigo told her. "I'm not going to drop you." He smiled making her calm down. "I just thought you might enjoy the view." Fu finally looked around and she gasped as she looked out over the landscape before her excitement took hold and Ichigo had to wrap his arm around her waist encase she fell but that didn't stop her excitement.

"It's so awesome Ichigo-sensei!" She shouted. "Fu bets Fu could see the Hidden Waterfall Village if she really tried!"

"_I don't think so..."_ Ichigo thought. "Come on let's get down there."

"Fu want's to stay up here!" She shouted making Ichigo sigh.

"Fu can you stand on air?" She shook her head. "Then how do you plan to stay up here?" He asked her and she shrugged her shoulders.

"Fu guesses she can come down but promise Fu something Ichigo-sensei." She told him seriously.

"Oh yeah and what's that?" He asked raising an eyebrow.

"Remember you shared this moment with Fu." She smiled at him and he let a small smile grace his face. "Since Fu is your wife and all."

"SAY WHAT!" Ichigo shouted at her making her giggle.

"Fu loves that expression of yours Ichigo-sensei." Fu laughed before Ichigo mumbled something about dropping her before walking over to the gate and dropping down, he let Fu drop down and the guards at the gate had wide eyes as they watched the two seemingly drop out of the sky form no where.

"_**She really has taken to you Ichigo."**_ Zangetsu said to him.

"**So when are you going to bump ugly's? I mean your seventeen now, almost eighteen and you haven't even lost your V-plates. Man the fuck up already! She obviously want's it."** His Hollow told him making both Ichigo and Zangetsu sigh. If the Hollow wasn't trying to kill him or take over his body he was constantly annoying him to get laid.

"_I might just do it one of these days so you shut the fuck up already."_

"**Wait... your fucking with me right? You don't have the balls to do that."**

"_**I do not believe that this is the time to be discussing such matters."**_ Zangetsu said as Ichigo watched the three guards approach them, they all had forehead protectors with a cloud symbol on it and a white vest with one strap over their shoulder.

"What is your business in this village?" One of them asked.

"Well... Fu has always wanted to come here." Fu said as she scratched the back of her head.

"We're simple travelers." Ichigo told them.

"Simple travelers don't hold a sword the same size of their body. Who are you. Answer now." Another Chunnin barked making Ichigo narrow his eyes.

"My name is Ichigo Kurosaki and this is..." Ichigo took in a sharp breath. "My student." He said through gritted teeth before he heard a gasp beside him and turned to see Fu with actual stars in her eyes with her hands pulled up to her chest tightly before she started jumping around.

"Yahoo! Ichigo-sensei finally realized Fu as his student!" She shouted. The three guards looked to the petite girl oddly before looking back to the defeated Ichigo who was mumbling something about how his life sucked.

"We're simply traveling around the lands. We won't cause any trouble."

"Ah... well... I guess you guys can pass." One of the guards said looking at one of the others who simply shrugged.

"Just make sure you don't cause trouble or nothing."

"Fu promises!" Fu saluted as she stopped jumping around. Ichigo sighed before walking between the guard and heading into the village. As they walked into the village a few people spared them a glance or two before going about their own business while Ichigo and Fu walked further into the village.

"Should we find a hotel or something Fu?" Ichigo asked.

"Yes! I wonder what the hot springs are like here." She said tapping a finger on her chin before Ichigo chuckled lightly before going to find a place to stay for their duration in the Village. Ichigo wasn't even considering leaving Fu here like he had originally planned back when she had started following him.

She had somewhat grown on him. He had made a friend when he said he wouldn't make any ties so he wouldn't be brought about the pain of losing them once more, but he realized something when he had been traveling with Fu. He had been lonely when he had been traveling alone but now he had someone to talk with, even if she was a bit weird, he had someone to protect now. Unlike his other friends, , Orihime, Ishida, Rukia, Renji and Chad or his family, he would protect them this time around. If he had to take on an entire village to protect Fu he would. He wouldn't let anyone harm the people precious to him.

Not anymore.

Not again.


	6. Chapter 6

Ichigo opened his eyes as he looked up to the ceiling, he had actually gotten a decent night sleep last night, sure it was the first time in a bed since leaving the Soul Society but it was still the best sleep he had, had for a while. He was about to sit up before he felt something across his chest and he sighed. He lifted the blanket up and his eyes opened wide open before shoving the blanket back down. The blankets moved for a bit before lifting up along with the head underneath it while Ichigo scooted back up the bed.

"Fu what the hell are you doing!" Ichigo shouted as the blanket fell around Fu's naked form. "Why are you naked!"

"This is what Fu heard married couples do."

"We're not married! This is why I got you your own room!"

"But it's so boring in Fu's room." She pouted at him. "Let Fu stay here with Ichigo-sensei!"

"That's not happening." Ichigo said standing up picking up his Kimono as he did so and pulling it on. "What did I tell you about sneaking into another's bed?"

"That it's improper."

"And even worse your naked!"

"Na uh!" She shouted. "I have my underwear on. See!" She continued to shout as she stood up on the bed the blanket falling down her form showing that she was indeed sleeping in her underwear... just nothing else. Not even a bra. Ichigo looked over his shoulder before his eyes shot wide open and a blush covered his face as he turned back around.

"Put same damn clothes on!" Ichigo shouted as he struggled to tie the belt around his waist, he heard Fu collapse back down on the bed.

"Hey Ichigo-sensei." Fu started. "Why do you wear all black? It's kind of depressing." She was laying on her stomach kicking her feet back and forth. "Fu should help you pick some new clothes out!" Fu said as she sat back up.

"How bout you go put some damn clothes on and we will see about it!" Fu simply stood up off the bed and walked around to the side and started to pull her clothes on making Ichigo sigh as he sat back down on the bed with his head in his hands. "_The hell am I going to do about her?"_ Ichigo questioned to himself.

"_**Perhaps you should just order one room from now on. It would only be a waste of money to rent two if one of them is not used."**_

"_Not helping old man."_ Ichigo mumbled.

"**It almost sounds like your trying to get him laid Zangetsu!"** His Hollow roared in laughter. **"You just don't have it in you do you King? She too young? Her childish nature? What is it?"**

"_I'm not discussing this with you, you damn bastard!"_ Ichigo snapped at him. _"But I guess your right Zangetsu, one room would save money."_ Zangetsu nodded his head and Ichigo stood up from the bed and walked over to the giant cleaver in the corner of the room and picked it up. "Let's go Fu."

"Fu's coming!" Fu said excitedly as she rushed out of the room ahead of Ichigo making him sigh. He didn't know where she got the energy so early in the morning. She was kind of like Keigo, except without the perverted nature... no wait it was there it was just in a different form then Keigo's. Ichigo locked his room and walked down the stairs to see Fu standing there waiting for him with a smile on her face. "Where does Ichigo-sensei want to go first?"

"Well... I don't really know how a village like this is set out, care to be the tour guide Fu?"

"Really?" She asked with wide eyes and Ichigo nodded her head. "Alright! Follow Fu!"

"I have a feeling in three minutes we will be lost." He mumbled to himself as he followed the green haired girl around. Ichigo followed the bubbly girl around all day and he had been amazed at how the structure of the buildings had been, back in Karakura he had took a designing class in his senior year and he had been interested in architecture of all different cultures but this was something else, there were rope bridges everywhere throughout the village, there was a building surrounding the tip of a mountain which Fu said was the Raikage tower. The head of the Hidden Cloud village.

A few Shinobi of the village gave Ichigo and his sword and wary look but just nodded to him as he walked past and Ichigo returned the gesture and continued to follow Fu around the village. It was just after midday when Fu led them down to what looked to be some sough of training area. There were steps leading up to a temple and a lake surrounding the training area itself.

"This place is beautiful, don't you think so Ichigo-sensei?" Fu asked with a smile.

"I have to admit Fu, your a damn good tour guide." Ichigo smiled.

"Thanks Ichigo-sensei. What should we do now? I mean it's almost nightfall."

"Not for a few hours yet." Ichigo said looking up to the sun. "It's just after noon." Fu nodded her head. They both heard arguing and turned and looked over there shoulders to see three people coming down the stair case that lead up to the temple. Ichigo cracked an eyebrow as Fu stepped behind him almost as if to hide herself. She had practically been happy all day back in the village but here and now she was hiding because three people were walking froward. Ichigo heard the blonde sigh before walking ahead before the red headed girl along with the white haired guy continued to argue. The blonde reached the bottom first and was the first to notice Ichigo and Fu or so he thought.

"Who the hell are you!" The red head shouted as she marched up to the both of them, the girl is a dark-skinned kunoichi with long red hair and amber eyes. She wears a long, short-sleeved dress with frilly edges complete with the Hidden Cloud flak jacket, two simple yellow earrings, fishnet stockings, thigh-high boots with white soles and a forehead protector which she wears like a bandanna. She also carries a long sword on her back. "This is our training ground, get the hell out of here!"

"F-Fu and Ichigo-sensei were just looking around." Fu said from behind Ichigo. Karui rose an eyebrow as she saw a hint of pink hair behind Ichigo who had narrowed his eyes as he looked down at her.

"Karui... so not cool." The blonde sighed as she walked over to them, she was a fair-skinned teen of moderate stature and curvaceous build with a large then average bust for her age. She has blue eyes and straight blonde hair framing her face with a shorter cut in the back and the front bangs reaching her shoulders; she wore a stoic, aloof expression on her face. She wears a very low-cut outfit with mesh underneath, a short skirt and red hand guards, high boots and what appears to be a modified Kumogakure flak jacket that covers her stomach only, similar to a girdle. She also has a tanto strapped horizontally to her lower back.. "Not to be rude like my team mate, but this ground is highly off limits to outsiders." She told him.

"Sorry we didn't know." Ichigo said as he rested a hand on Fu's shoulder. "We will be going now." The blonde nodded her head before there was a crash behind him and he sighed.

"Yo yo yo!" A voice shouted out making all three of the cloud shinobi sigh while Fu hid behind Ichigo who rose an eyebrow. "The strawberry's gotta go!"

"The hell you calling a strawberry!" Ichigo growled out. No matter where he went everyone made fun of his damn hair!

"Yo Yo strawberry what's the go? Killer B is here to teach the show!" As the dust cleared a man a little older then Ichigo emerged, Killer B has dark skin and a muscular build, as well as blond hair and a goatee. On his right shoulder, he has a tattoo of the kanji for "iron", and on his left cheek, he has a tattoo of a bull's horn. His top lip also has a slightly darker hue than his bottom one. Killer B wears oval shaped sunglasses and a white colored forehead protector. He also has his village's standard one-strap-over-one-shoulder flak jacket, and a long, red rope belt tied around his waist, the standard Hidden Cloud hand and shin guards, shinobi sandals, and a white scarf around his neck. He carry's eight swords on his back. Ichigo sweat dropped as B stepped forward before stepping on his scarf and face planted into the ground.

"Right... come on Fu." Ichigo said once again turning around before he knew it B had appeared in front of him book in hand writing things down. "What do you want? First you tell me to go now you block my way?"

"B-sensei, just let them go." Samui said. "Then we can start out training before Yugito-sensei gets here."

"That kitty cat and got nothing on this big bull ya fool, you and me, one on one, my eight against your one. What do you say strawberry?" B asked.

"Don't fight idiots." Ichigo said. "Lets go Fu." Fu quickly nodded her head and ran towards Ichigo passed B who looked after them.

"An idiot I may be, but that's a Jinjuriki with ye." Fu froze on the spot and Ichigo narrowed his eyes as he looked over his shoulder.

"What of it?" Ichigo asked. "You got something against Fu?"

"What if I do?"

"Then I'll kick your ass." Ichigo snarled. "Fu let's go." Fu quickly nodded her head and ran after Ichigo before B appeared behind her, ready to grab her and before any of the other four knew what happened Killer B was flying out over the clearing and Ichigo rested his foot back on the ground as Fu's eyes were wide open in shock her hair flying about from the speed of Ichigo's kick. B crashed into a mountain across the water and fell down to the water.

"Ho ho ho, big man starts the show!" B called out before drawing his swords. Ichigo narrowed his eyes as he pulled his wooden one from his belt and thrust Zangetsu into the ground next to Fu.

"Keep old man Zangetsu safe for me, would you Fu?" Naruto asked and Fu's eyes widened as she looked at the blade.

"That's Grand Sensei Zangetsu?"

"Better believe it is." Ichigo grinned. "Stay back ok?" She nodded her head and rested a hand on Zangetsu hilt and smiled.

"Fu can do that Ichigo-sensei, you kick his ass."

"Language." Ichigo sighed.

"You swore." She pouted.

"So not the point Fu!"

**Alright a lot of you readers out there have been wandering and asking me about the pairing. I got a review last chapter saying Fu was too young? I made her sixteen while Ichigo is seventeen? I don't understand how that's to young but anyway... a lot of people had said Konan and one even said a secret love between Konan and Ichigo which is a good idea and I might use it if they allow me too. There has been random guesses like Anko? Ichigo hasn't met her yet so I don't really know why some people said Anko, others suggested Ino and I can only guess they suggested Ino is because Ichigo met Ino and Sakura back in the Hidden Leaf am I right? If I am why not suggest Sakura? But I guess the whole thing with Sasuke Naruto and Sakura thing going on some of you didn't want to think about it? The thing is I'm going to try something which a lot of you may not like. Some of you may like it and some of you may stop reading because of it. **

_**PLEASE KEEP READING**_

**Simply put Harem, but not the type where Ichigo buys a house and all the girls move in, no that's unrealistic. What I originally planned on doing is having Ichigo travel the Elemental Nations and every now and again would start a relationship with a girl, something may happen between them to stop happening or something, I don't know. Then the idea of a few people traveling with Ichigo popped into my head and that's when I decided to make a few girls follow Ichigo such as Fu. Doesn't mean every companion Ichigo has will be a girl, no that's stupid and Ichigo will get thrown about so much it won't be funny. Then it will turn into all those usual harem fics that the relationship's are just built around sex and I don't want that to happen.**

**Believe it or not my mind may change and I may just put a single pairing in I'm still deciding and I really don't want to make this story like any other. So please bare with me and shoot me your ideas in a PM or a review.**

**Read and Review**

**Peace**


	7. Chapter 7

"That guy's and idiot, does he really think he can beat B-sensei's eight sword stance with a measly wooden sword?" Karui asked as she sat down on a rock to the side as she watched Ichigo. "Guys going to die."

"What would happen if the strawberry won? Does that mean B-sensei would die? That wouldn't be good because I would be on a team with all girls with Yugito-sensei teaching me the ways of a woman. I might grow boobs bigger then Karui's, which isn't that hard, but I shouldn't have to suffer under the influences of woman just to be turned into a woman in the end! Oh the horror!" Omoi shouted as he gripped his head. Omoi is a young, dark-skinned Kumo-nin with short, spiky, white hair and dark eyes accentuated with lines curving upwards from the corners. He wears a dark outfit consisting of an overlong shirt with a hood, with red bandage hand guards, Hidden Cloud shin guards, and a black forehead protector. While a lollipop hung from his mouth. He also carries a long sword on his back just like Karui and Samui.

"The hell you talking about my breast size you damn idiot!" Karui shouted as she threw a rock at him which he ducked under and it collided with the back of Samui who had turned away from the fight seemingly checking her finger nails for dirt.

"You threw the rock Karui, you must suffer the consequence's what if it had passed Samui and hit the mountain behind her and made in crumble and kill us all, that wouldn't be good."

"Shove your god damn theory's up your ass Omoi!" Karui shouted before she started to strangle the white haired teen. Samui raised an eyebrow at Fu who was watching them behind the sword Ichigo had drove into the ground. Her hands were gripping the handle tightly but from what the blonde could tell, the girl wouldn't be able to budge the weapon even if she was older. It looked like it was a piece of the mountain itself. Samui started to walk over to Fu who's eyes opened wide and Samui smiled at her calming her down somewhat.

"I heard you say your name is Fu, is that right?" Fu nodded her head. "My name is Samui, I see you are from the Hidden Waterfall from your headband plate." She gestured to the forehead protector tide around her arm and once again Fu nodded her head. "Your a long way from home, is that Ichigo..." She trailed off wanting Fu to correct her if she was wrong.

"Ichigo-sensei." Fu told her and the blonde nodded.

"I didn't see a forehead protector anywhere, is he from your village?" Fu shook her head surprising the blonde somewhat.

"Fu found Ichigo-sensei outside of a waterfall." Fu told her. "Ichigo-sensei was nice to Fu, so Fu decided to make Ichigo-sensei her Sensei."

"I see..."

"At first Ichigo-sensei refused to acknowledge Fu as his student but just yesterday Ichigo-sensei called Fu his student!" She exclaimed. "Ichigo-sensei can do all this cool stuff! He teaches Fu about what is proper and not proper."

"Shouldn't you have learnt that from your parents?" Samui asked as she looked over Zangetsu.

"Fu never knew her family." She told Samui sadly. "The Hidden Waterfall didn't treat Fu very nicely."

"That's the way it is for Jinjuriki in some villages. Not in the Hidden Cloud, they are treated as Hero's here." She said as she reached to touch the blade before an arm stopped her and the blade was pulled from the ground by a cloaked man.

"_**I suggest you don't touch what isn't yours."**_ Zangetsu said. **_"I would hate to have to hurt someone because of that. Us Zanpakuto don't like others apart from the ones we belong to and the ones they trust to touch us."_**

"Who are you?" Samui asked surprised, she didn't sense him at all and he seemingly came out of nowhere.

"Grand Sensei Zangetsu!" Fu exclaimed. "I haven't seen you in ages!"

"_**It's been a little over a week Fu."**_ Zangetsu told her. **_"I do not recall that being a large amount of time."_** Zangetsu finished as he put his physical form on his back and turned to watch Ichigo while Samui simply watched in awe of this man who seemed very powerful.

"Cool." She breathed out.

With Ichigo and Killer B they were both standing on the water or just a little bit above in Ichigo's case. B was up on one leg while Ichigo stood with the nameless wooden sword at his side. B took the blade out of his mouth.

"You going to attack or your going to have a panic attack!" B rhymed.

"What is with the rhymes? Seriously your starting to give me a headache." Ichigo growled.

"Headaches are bad yo! You should get them checked out fool!"

"**Or just end the source and everything is dandy!"** His Hollow roared inside his head. **"Better yet let me out I'll tear his damn fucking head off!"**

"_Calm down, it's like you have never been to a rap concert before."_

"**Have you shit for brains? No? Then neither have I dumb ass!"**

"Shut up!" Ichigo shouted to the side getting a raised eyebrow from Killer B.

"What's the dealy-o? We fighting or you gonna keep humiliating?" B said as he put his blade back in his mouth and Ichigo dashed forward at a moderate speed. His first strike hit the blade in B's left joint of his arm before he ducked underneath the swipe from the one in his mouth. Ichigo blocked another two with the wooden sword and B was surprised that the sword hadn't split in two. With a flick of the wrist Ichigo sent one of B's blades flying before it hit the water and sank underneath.

"One down." Ichigo grinned. "Seven to go." With an onslaught of slashes and stabs Killer B was forced back surprising the Four of the hidden Cloud Village, never had B been forced back in a sword match. He was always on the offensive, what even more surprising was that Ichigo had done it with a simple wooden sword.. One after another all B's swords flew from his grasp until the only one remaining was the sword in his mouth. B jumped back and pulled the blade from his mouth and grinned.

"Oh your fun strawberry." Ichigo growled. "But the Berry Head's going down!"

"That didn't even rhyme." Ichigo told him.

"He's not going to?" Karui asked through a sigh.

"Lord Raikage told him not too." Samui sighed.

"This can't be good." Omoi finished with slapping his face.

"I'm Killer B, I float like butterfly and sting like a bee." B said jumping back. "I'm the eight tails Jinjuriki you see!" He shouted as a red cloak started to form around him. Ichigo narrowed his eyes as he watched B jump form one foot to another as eight tails sprang out behind him in the chakra cloak. Ichigo's eyes shot wide open as B launched himself forward at incredible speeds and he was just able to use shunpo to get out of the way of the attack. "You don't fool me, you can play hide and seek but it's useless as swimming in a shallow creek ya hear!" Ichigo appeared behind B with his wooden sword ready to strike before B intercepted with his own sword and the red chakra tore the wooden sword to pieces and B slashed Ichigo across the chest.

"Ichigo-sensei!" Fu shouted out but Zangetsu held her back.

"You know..." Ichigo said standing up. "Your rap is really starting to get on my nerves. I bought that wooden sword so I wouldn't have to use Zangetsu at all. I didn't want to kill anyone here. But I never imagined I would have to fight someone as powerful as an Espada while I was here."

"Espada?" B questioned.

"You have the strength and the speed and that red cloak sought of acts like a hierro but your still nothing compared to an Espada, don't get me wrong your strong I give you that." Ichigo held out his hand and Zangetsu threw the blade towards Ichigo and he caught it as if it was nothing and rested it on his shoulder. "But going against a Soul Reaper, with nothing but that and nothing to protect yourself." Ichigo shrugged. "Don't blame me if you die."

"The only one dying here today is you!" B shouted jumping forward and Ichigo just stood there watching and as B came down his sword was slicked in half and his shoulder erupted in a fountain of blood. "H-How?" B asked as he fell to his knees holding his shoulder. He looked over to look at Ichigo who was simply standing there Zangetsu resting at his side blood dripping down the blade.

"This fight is over." Ichigo said. "Get that wound checked out." Ichigo started to walk away before he heard laughing and looked over his shoulder to see B standing up.

"It's not over, we're just getting started." B grinned as his body started to morph and Ichigo narrowed his eyes as his body tarted to turn gray and the chakra cloak started to disappear only to be replaced by actual octopus like tails. A massive cloud of dust erupted from the ground and Ichigo sighed.

"Why can't they just give up?" Ichigo sighed.

"He is in so much trouble." Omoi said. "Lord Raikage forbade B-sensei from using this form."

"So uncool." Samui sighed. Ichigo's eyes opened wide as the dust started to clear and the massive form within started to show itself.

"Your kidding me, what the hell are you? Some sought of Ox, Octopus thing?" Ichigo asked. "You look so weird!" A tentacle was shot out and Ichigo simply cleaved it off before in regenerated. "That's going to be troublesome." B roared as he charged at Ichigo who jumped into the air above slicing at tentacles which fell to the ground after each swing. The three Cloud ninja along with Fu were amazed that Ichigo could go toe to toe with the eight tails like this.

"**That all you got little strawberry! How about we stop this little dance!"** B shouted and Ichigo jumped back and landed on the ground. The large crature tilted it's head back and everyone's eyes shot wide open as black energry started to from at the monster's mouth.

"B-sensei don't!" Samui shouted with wide eyes. Ichigo narrowed his eyes and everyone watched as a white copy of Ichigo appeared next to him.

"**Hiya king... THE FUCK IS THAT!"** His hollow shouted as he pointed up to B. **"I go to sleep for five minutes! Five fucking minutes and you fight some big fuck off thing which is the size of a fucking house by the way! The hell is wrong with you!"**

"Stop complaining!" Ichigo growled at him. "Use a Cero to stop that thing!"

"**Why not use a Getsuga?"**

"This is not the time!" Ichigo shouted. "Do it now!" The Hollow shrugged before putting his mask on and raising his head to the sky his horns emitting a red spiral as it grew and grew. Ichigo shielding himself as the winds ripped through the area.

"**You so ow me for this!"** The Hollow shouted before both shot there attacks at one another, red collided with black and B's attack was overpowered by the force of the Cero but it soon dissipated afterward. **"That was suppose to kill the fucker!"** The hollow growled as he looked over the completely destroyed area. **"Ah well I got to destroy some shit."**

"Don't care go away."

"**Nah..."** Ichigo growled and his Hollow laughed before disappearing. Everyone was in shock as Ichigo stood there and sighed in relief. Fu and everyone up on the platform was wide eyed along with B who changed back to his human form, his shoulder fully healed.

"How did you do that?" B asked in shock. "Nobody has ever stopped something like that before. The fourth Hokage could only deflect the one from the nine tails, nobody has outright stop it before." Ichigo simply shrugged as Zangetsu was wrapped in bandages and Ichigo rested the large blade on his back.

"This fight over now?" Ichigo asked as he looked over to B before walking away. "Come on Fu, I'm hungry. Let's go get something to eat."

"Wait!" A new voice shouted at making Ichigo sigh.

"Now what? Haven't I kicked enough ass this afternoon?" Ichigo asked as he looked up to see where the new voice had come from.

"Ichigo-sensei language." Fu giggled.

"Hey! Who is the mentor here!" Ichigo shouted at her before he looked back up to see another Hidden Cloud ninja standing there ready to attack if need be. The woman seemed a few years older then Ichigo probably the same age as Killer B, she had long straight blonde hair bound with taut bandages and dark eyes. She wore a short-sleeved black and purple blouse, black pants both of which had a design similar to clouds on them, purple fingerless gloves and a chain of white beads wound around her left hand. She also wore the standard Hidden Cloud forehead protector, sandals and kunai holster which was strapped to her right thigh. She also wore bandages around her arms and legs as well as a red belt around her waist.

"Seriously you want to fight me too? What is it with woman and these countrys all wanting to fight me... I think Fu is the only one who doesn't." He mumbled to himself.

"My name is Yugito Nii, two tails Jinjuriki, the one you just fought is Killer B, eight tails Jinjuriki. This _was _our training area for our Genin." She told him. "You along with that idiot destroyed it." She growled.

"Not my fault Kitty Cat, how about you chill out and have a kitkat." B said walking over to Ichigo and wrapping and arm around his shoulders. "Just testing strawberry boy here to see what the talk was all about."

"I don't care, you flatly disobeyed Lord Raikage's orders by transforming like that." She scolded. "And you!" She shouted jumping down to where they were standing. "You have some explaining to do." Ichigo sighed before pushing B away and running a hand through his hair as the three others Samui, Karui and Omoi where Yugito had been standing appeared over the edge. "The both of you are going to see the Raikage."

"Yeah... unless that is some restaurant or something I don't think so." Ichigo told her. "You see I'm hungry, have been for a while now. So I'm going to go eat." Ichigo said as he started to walk away and she gripped him by the collar.

"Don't care. Samui, bring the girl to the Raikage tower." The younger blonde nodded her head before Yugito, Killer B and Ichigo disappeared.


	8. Chapter 8

Konan stood with her arms crossed as Zetsu stood in front of her. The plant like man had come to see Pein but after their meeting Konan had intercepted the two faced creature and pulled him aside.

"What can I do for you Konan?" White Zetsu asked.

"**Hurry it up we don't have all day woman!"** Black Zetsu growled out.

"I want everything you have on Ichigo Kurosaki, since the time he left Ame." Konan said. "Everything." Both Zetsu's grinned.

"**What Kisame said got to you didn't it?"**

"Oh Konan, don't let silly things hurt your pride like that, it really is unlike you to fall for such trifle matters."

"Now!" Konan growled out and Zetsu sighed before shrugging.

"Kisame and Itachi have gone to the land of lightning following Ichigo's trail, before that he was in the land of waterfalls which we spoke about at the last gathering. The seven tails Jinjuriki is currently traveling with him as well. Not much is known about his ability, but from what I saw just a few hours ago... I am positive he is strong." Konan rose an eyebrow.

"What are you talking about?"

"**He fought the eight tails... and won."** Konan's eyes shot wide open in surprise.

"One on one, he fought him at the start with a simple wooden sword until the eight tails brought his chakra cloak out he had been pushed back, when Ichigo's wooden sword made contact with the cloak it was destroyed." Konan nodded her head.

"Wait... why was he using a wooden sword?" Zetsu shrugged.

"After the wooden weapon was destroyed he dominated the fight from there on, even when the eight tails used it's full transformation and using a Tailed Beast Ball." Konan's eyes were wide open in surprise and shock.

"**He was able to counter the attack with one of his own."**

"He is the first to ever do that." Zetsu said. "I'm not sure it would be wise..."

"**Quiet!"** Black Zetsu hissed. **"That is not our concern!"** Konan narrowed her eyes and unfolded her arms and walked away. **"You idiot!"**

"It's not my fault."

"**Doesn't stop you from being an idiot!"** Zetsu disappeared into the floor while Konan rounded a corner and smirked to herself before disappearing in a puff of smoke signaling she was a shadow clone and sending the memories she just received to her original body in the Land of Fire. Her eyes opened and a small smile came to beautiful features.

"To the Land of Lighting it is." She said to herself before wrapping her Akatsuki cloak around her form and starting to walk. _"I don't know what it is... but I'm drawn to you... Ichigo Kurosaki."_

X-X

Ichigo and B were pushed forward by Yugito as they appeared in the Raikage office.

"Yo big bro! What's crackin on the down low?" B asked as he walked forward, while Ichigo glared at the blonde behind him who had a smirk on her face as she leaned up against a wall with her arms crossed. The Raikage is a tall dark-skinned man with a large muscular build, with his blond hair combed back, a small mustache and beard. His face is very distinguished with pronounced cheekbones and tear troughs under his eyes, and a prominent crease across his forehead. He has pointed canines and his top lip also has a darker hue than the bottom one.

A wears his Kage haori and hat without a shirt underneath, further displaying his hulking physique. He has black Fuma Shuriken tattoos on both shoulders. he has gold bangle bracelets on each wrist which have protrusions that can jut out when he attacks. He also wears a gold belt around his waist with a boar's face engraved in the center. All of these aspects combined give him the appearance of a professional wrestler.

"B shut your damn rhymes up!" A shouted as he slammed his hand down on the table. "What did I tell you! Your not suppose to use that form!"

"I know the dealy-o." B said. "But the strawberry's got some moves."

"He was even able to defeat the idiot." Yugito said. "Countered B's Tailed Beast Ball and won." A looked at the orange haired teen with narrowed eyes.

"Who are you."

"Someone who's hungry!" Ichigo growled. "I haven't eaten all day."

"Don't disrespect Lord Raikage!" Yugito growled as she forced Ichigo to bow.

"God! Why are you so annoying!" Ichigo groaned as he swatted her hand away from the back of his head. "Look Lord what's-ya-face." Yugito growled while A narrowed his eyes. "I came here with my student, we're simple travelers walking the countries. While we were exploring your village we happened to end up in their training ground." He thrust a thumb and B and Yugito. "We were asked to leave by some blonde girl and we obliged until that guy came in with his rap and told me to fight. He threatened the life of my student so I once again obliged him. That's what happened." Yugito and A both narrowed there eyes at B.

"Hey whoa whoa don't get up me now, his students a Jinjuriki just like me and you." B said raising his hands up in defense.

"So that immediately gives you the right to fight then does it?" Yugito hissed at him. "What would have happened if she let the beast out! Our village would have been destroyed in the battle that would have happened!"

"B your such and idiot!" A shouted as he rubbed the bridge of his nose while looking at Ichigo. "What tailed beast does she have in her?" A asked and Ichigo gave him a confused look. "You do know she's a Jinjuriki do you not?"

"Sure." Ichigo said. "Doesn't mean anything to me, so she has a demon sealed in her so what?"

"Yugito is the Jinjuriki of the two tails. B is the Jinjuriki of the eight tails. All up there are nine tailed beasts." A explained.

"Oh... that's weird." Ichigo said scratching the back of his chin. "You guys don't seem to treat your Jinjuriki like dirt."

"That's because they are honored in the Hidden Cloud." A told him. "They sacrificed there lives to be the host of the beast, protecting the village is what they do every day, but they are also respectable warriors not weapons like some would believe. They earned there positions through hard work and determination. They have also learned to control their inner beasts."

"_**Sound familiar Ichigo?"**_ Zangetsu asked and Ichigo let a small smile cross his face.

"**Tch... I totally could have kicked his ass if I wanted it badly enough."** And the smile faded, a knock sounded on the door and A called out to let them to come in. Both Samui and Fu walked through and Fu immediately lit up as she saw Ichigo looking back at her with a small smile. She went to stand beside him as Samui went to stand by Yugito and B.

"This is the girl?" A asked and Ichigo nodded his head. "Name."

"Fu." She said quickly.

"Your and Jinjuriki yes?" Fu nodded her head. "Do you know what tailed beast you have in you?"

"Seven tails." Fu told him, Ichigo was surprised at how formal she was being. A was silent for a while as he looked over the two.

"Your from the Hidden Waterfall."

"She is." Ichigo said. "I'm not."

"Then where are you from?" A asked.

"Far away." Ichigo told him. "Look we can play twenty questions all day and get no where. Tell us what you need to, so I can go eat. I'm hungry and before you ask... I'm not joining this village, and I'm not handing Fu over either."

"Very well but I want to ask you a question." A said and Ichigo nodded. "What do you know about the group calling themselves the Akatsuki?"

"Bunch of stuck ups." Ichigo told him making Yugito's and B's eyes widen in surprise. "I have only met three members."

"I half expected to have you answer that you have never heard of them before." A told him.

"Who are the Akatsuki?" Fu asked.

"A criminal organization made up of S-class missing ninja." A said and Ichigo narrowed his eyes. "It is uncertain what there goals are or what they are trying to do, we have only recently heard of them our selves." A told them. "But they are very dangerous people." Ichigo sighed and rested his hands behind his head.

"Can we go now?" A nodded his head.

X-X

"So what do you think he's doing in the land of Lightning?" Kisame asked as Itachi and himself walked closer to the Hidden Cloud village.

"Who knows." Itachi spoke to him. His eyes flicked to the side and Kisame made a small twitch in his wrist to show that he understood that there was someone behind them. "Perhaps he wanted to meet more Jinjuriki or he wanted to see how other Jinjuriki were treated."

"Yeah I hear that the Hidden Cloud village has two Jinjuriki." Kisame said his hand ready to reach for Samehada at a moments notice.

"The eight tails and the two tails." Itachi said as a kunai slipped into his hand from inside his sleeve. "I wonder what he is planning."

"I know the both of you can sense me." Both Kisame and Itachi turned around in surprise at Konan's voice. "I know the way you to act around one another. I know the signs the flick of the eye the twitch of the wrist, the sublte slow of the movements you make so you can hear what they are doing." She said folding her arms. "I was the one who paired you together. I knew you would work well with one another."

"I really thought I would get to fight someone, but it's just a clone." Kisame sighed.

"You have a message?" Itachi asked putting his kunai away.

"No." This surprised both men. "I'm not a clone." This surprised them even more.

"Then why are you here? Why are you not back in the hidden rain?" Itachi asked.

"I came to aid you in your mission to recruit Ichigo Kurosaki."

"Oh..." Kisame chuckled lightly. "Someone's got a little girl crush!" He laughed. Itachi sighed while Konan growled at him.

"The three of us are already knowledgeable of Ichigo." She started. "The both of you have no idea of his power."

"She's right Kisame." Itachi said. "We have no idea the strength Ichigo possess. Zetsu only spoke briefly on his fight with the eight tails." Konan nodded. "Said Ichigo stopped a Tailed Beast Ball."

"I'd have to see it to believe it." Kisame told them.

"I don't think Zetsu would lie about such things, from the way he was when he told us... he was quite shaken up." Konan nodded as the three began to walk.

"What did you find out about the nine tails host?"

"Nothing good." Kisame grunted. "He has one of the Sannin protecting him."

"Jiraiya-sensei." Konan whispered to herself.

"As we are now, we were unable to test Naruto's strength." Itachi told her. "The fight would have brought to much attention and the Hidden Leaf village was to close to the town that we encountered him in." Konan nodded her head as they began to walk, for a while they walked in silence.

"So Konan... you want to know what Ichigo said?" Kisame said with a massive smirk while Itachi rolled his eyes and sighed while Konan gritted her teeth, she wanted to know yes. But she wouldn't allow Kisame to tease her about it either. So she ignored him and continued to walk while Kisame laughed.

"I don't know how you put up with him." Konan said to Itachi.

"Ear plugs most of the time." Itachi told her making her chuckle lightly as the Hidden Cloud gates came into view.

X-X

"So why are you here?"

"Big bro asked me to check on yo!"

"Shut up, your rhymes are stupid."

"So Ichigo what's with the green haired beast with yo." B said as they walked down the main road in the hidden cloud village, Fu had gone back to the room.

"I'm only going to talk to you if you speak properly! I know you can do it too!" He snapped at the large man beside him. "And Fu's not some beast!"

"I know I know. I'm like her got the old eight tails sealed up in me."

"I met her, just outside of her village. I was resting after a day of traveling." B nodded his head as they walked into a restaurant. "She seemed weary of me first but soon came over and talked with me. Since I'm not a ninja I didn't know about sealing and all that so Fu started to explain a few things to me."

"Wait, your not a ninja?" B asked confused.

"Ah no." Ichigo told him. "There a problem with that?"

"If your not a ninja what are you?"

"None of your damn business." Ichigo growled before something caught his eye and he turned and saw three people walking outside the restaurant in the black cloaks with red clouds. _"Akatsuki."_


	9. Chapter 9

B raised an eyebrow as Ichigo looked out of the restaurant.

"Your aight strawberry?" Ichigo snapped back and growled at the Jinjuriki making the man raise his arms up in defense. "Whoa came down there yo."

"What does your brother know about the Akatsuki?" Ichigo asked.

"Not a whole lot, we only got information the other day from a spy in the land of fire in Jiraiya of the Sannin's spy network."

"Spy network?" Ichigo asked confused.

"Yeah, since your not a ninja I guess you don't know. But information like this is worth something you know." B said while nodding his head. "Information to a ninja can make a mission safer, say we originally didn't know the shift's of guards protecting a certain place. If we knew then we could easily slip by at the time of the change, if we didn't we may get caught up in a fight."

"Make's sense." Ichigo told him.

"Jiraiya is one of the strongest of the Leaf Village." Ichigo remembered his time at the Chunnin exams and sighed inwardly. "There were three originally, Orochimaru Tsunade and Jiraiya all taught by the third Hokage." Ichigo nodded. "Tsunade went missing while Orochimaru went rogue. Jiraiya set up a spy network to track Orochimaru down. It's the largest in all the elemental nations."

"So you have a spy of your own in this spy network?" B nodded his head. "So what do you have on the Akatsuki then."

"All the members are S-class missing nin. Meaning they have gone rogue from their village. We don't have any identities of who the members are or how many there are. We just know that there up to no good. We don't know their goals or..."

"War."

"What?" B asked confused.

"One of the ones I spoke to, said that they wanted to stop war." Ichigo said as he looked out of the restaurant. "They wanted me to join up with them. I refused."

"Your not a missing nin are you?" B asked and Ichigo chuckled.

"How can I be a missing nin if I'm not a ninja."

"Heh, I guess your right." B said rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "The thing is, Big bro thinks it has something to do with us Jinjuriki. I don't know why but I feel the same." Ichigo narrowed his eyes at that. "So keep that Fu of yours safe." Ichigo disappeared from the restaurant surprising B immensely before he looked under the table. "Where did the strawberry go?" Ichigo jumped up onto the rooftops following the three members of the Akatsuki, it was the three he met before. He narrowed his eyes before using shunpo and appearing before the three of them his eyes narrowed as he glared at all of them.

"Ichigo Kurosaki." Itachi said. "Just the person we were looking for."

"Heh, come to greet us have you?" Kisame chuckled as he caught Konan's eyes soften a little bit beside him.

"Good to see you again Ichigo." Konan smiled as her heart began to beat faster.

"Fish Face, Emo King, Busty Beauty." Ichigo greeted in return, Kisame burst out laughing as Konan's eyebrow twitched along with Itachi's.

"Emo King? Really?" Itachi asked. "I don't think that nickname suits me at all."

"Yeah I guess your right." Ichigo shrugged. "I'll think of something for the next time we meet."

"I like mine." Kisame laughed. "Also like Konan's." He laughed while Itachi cracked a smile and let a small chuckle escape.

"This is what you two were laughing at!" Konan snapped at them. "It's not funny at all!"

"Sure it is, but last time he called you a a centerfold model of Busty Beauty's." Kisame said holding his sides in laughter.

"He must have shortened it." Itachi chuckled while Konan narrowed her eyes.

"So when were you guys going to tell me your organization was built up of a bunch of criminals." All three heads turned to Ichigo with wide eyes. "You see I have been doing some research of my own." Zangetsu's bandages unwrapped themselves from the blade as Ichigo grabbed the hilt. "Also I hear you have an interest in Jinjuriki."

"_How does he know so much?"_ Itachi along with Kisame and Konan all thought in unison.

"It's true." Konan said speaking up. "Our organization is built up of S-class missing nin. If I recall I remember telling you that we were built up of people who had been banished from there homes, just like you were."

"The thing is." Ichigo said pulling Zangetsu of his back making all three of them get into there fighting stances. The citizens started to clear out as they saw the commotion. "I wasn't banished because I disobeyed the law." He growled. "I was banished because they feared me!" He dashed forward and Kisame was just quick enough to block the attack with Samehada.

"I have to admit. This is going to be tougher then I thought." Kisame said with a grin as he tried to push Ichigo back with no success. "Just how I like it."

"I won't let you take Fu!" Ichigo shouted as he pulled back and swung at Kisame again who continued to block his attack, Zangetsu was starting to chip away Samehada's bandages.

"Could use some help over here!" Kisame shouted as he jumped back only to be immediately on the defense again as Ichigo charged after him. Konan and Itachi nodded to one other, Konan's legs broke into paper and wrapped around Ichigo's legs and Kisame jumped back. Konan's arms continued to turn into paper and held Ichigo's arms still.

"Now Itachi!" Konan shouted and the Uchiha nodded his head and jumped in front of Ichigo, his red eyes twirling before they changed shape surprising Ichigo.

"Tsukuyomi ." Itachi whispered and Ichigo's head dropped... but something wasn't right. Itachi jumped back surprising both Konan and Kisame. "Something's wrong!" Itachi shouted. "I didn't enter the world of Tsukuyomi!"

"How is that possible!" Kisame said in shock. Konan's eyes opened wide.

"_Chakra? What's that? Is it Reiatsu?"_ Ichigo's words from there first meeting came back to her. "He doesn't have Chakra... he's immune to Genjutsu."

"Say what!" Kisame shouted.

"**Hehe."** A sinister chuckle brought all of them out of there shock and back to Ichigo. **"Nice one... it was so easy this time... it was like... to easy."** Ichigo's head tilted to the side and the three of the Akatsuki were in shock, half of Ichigo's face was covered in a white mask with a black thick line going straight down one side, his eyes had changed color from his chocolate brown to charcoal black with a yellow iris. **"Damn King... your getting weak. But it would seem your already fighting back for control."**

"Who are you?" Itachi asked.

"**Why does everyone ask me that?"** 'Ichigo' asked. He thrusted Zangetsu into the ground beside him and spread his arms out wide. **"I'm Ichigo's instinct! I have no name!"** He laughed like a madman. **"Just his instinct."** He repeated with his sinister smile as he pulled Zangetsu out of the ground. **"How about it old man? Want to spill some blood?"** The three wondered who he was talking too but they didn't have time to get an answer as 'Ichigo' dashed forward at incredible speeds and Kisame erupted in a fountain of blood as he fell to his knees Samehada falling from his grip. 'Ichigo' was laughing like a madman all the while as Kisame's face hit the ground with a thud. **"Oh it's so good to stretch these aching muscles!"**

"Fire Style: Great fire ball jutsu!" Itachi shouted out as he blew a massive ball of fire from his mouth which 'Ichigo' didn't even react to as he sent a wave of Reiatsu from the blade of Zangetsu straight at the ball of fire and straight at Itachi, who managed to get out of the way.

"I don't understand what's happening." Konan said her eyes wide open as she watched as more of the mask fragment on Ichigo's face started to form as he laughed like a madman.

"Konan, I'll grab Kisame. We have to retreat."

"**Retreat?"** 'Ichigo' asked. **"Who said I was letting you leave here..."** Ichigo's eyes opened wide as if he was in pain as his right hand came up and grabbed the mask fragment. **"No! Not again! Damn it King let me have my fun! Your ruining everything! How do you plan to protect Fu if you won't kill anyone!"** 'Ichigo' roared as he thrashed around Zangetsu swiping at everything as he did so. **"Gahh!"** The mask fragment disappeared and Ichigo's eyes went back to normal as he hunched over breathing heavily as he glared at Itachi.

"I don't like those eyes of yours." He growled out.

"_Thank goodness... he's back in control."_ Konan thought. "Ichigo! Please stop attacking us, let us talk with you first!" Konan pleaded. "We promise not to harm Fu!" Ichigo narrowed his eyes before standing up straight and pulling Zangetsu up and over his shoulder. "Please Ichigo."

"Pick up fish face and follow me. Try anything with Fu." He narrowed his eyes. "I will end your life." Both Konan and Itachi nodded as they went over and picked Kisame up and followed Ichigo to the place he was staying. The receptionist gave them a wary look as they walked past but simply lowered her head in a bow and welcomed Ichigo back as they continued up to Ichigo's room.

Ichigo opened the door and let Konan and Itachi with the unconscious Kisame in first before following them in. Fu was laying on the bed her legs swinging behind her with her head propped up on her hands.

"Ichigo-sensei! Did you bring Fu something to eat?" Both Itachi and Konan looked back to Ichigo who sighed and ran a hand down his face.

"Sorry Fu." Ichigo told her. "I got caught up in something, I didn't even get to eat." He told her and she pouted.

"Your so forgetful Ichigo-sensei." Fu told him sitting up on the bed. "How about Fu goes and gets something to eat?" Ichigo rose an eyebrow as Fu stood up and started to walk towards the door.

"Aren't you going to ask who these people are?" Fu looked over her shoulder and narrowed her eyes at Konan.

"Fu thinks it will be OK." Fu told him. "But you!" She shouted before jumping on the bed and pointing her finger at Konan. "Stay away from Ichigo-sensei, he may not seem it but he's perverted and Ichigo-sensei is Fu's." Konan actually recoiled back at the possessiveness of the girl.

"FU!" Ichigo shouted. "Go now!"

"OK!" Fu said happily before bouncing out of the room making Ichigo sigh. The door closed and Konan removed Kisame's cloak and slung it over a chair before she went through some hand signs and raised her hands over Kisame's wounds as her hands glowed green. Itachi sat down in another chair holding his eye.

"Someone start explaining." Ichigo said.

"It's true." Itachi started. "The members of the Akatsuki are all S-class missing nin as Konan told you. We also are after the tailed beasts that the Jinjuriki hold within them."

"How many do you have so far." Ichigo growled.

"None." Konan told him as she worked on Kisame. "Fu was actually going to be the first, but Lord Pain saw it fit to leave her out of it for a while since she has been traveling with you." Once again Ichigo narrowed his eyes.

"Your keeping tabs on me." He continued to growl.

"Yes." Itachi told him honestly, there was no point lying to him. "A member is highly skilled in spying, he can appear anywhere at whatever time." Ichigo nodded his head. "We saw it fit to keep tabs on you to see what you are like, so we knew what we were dealing with if you joined the Akatsuki."

"Why are you so dead set on recruiting me?" Ichigo asked as he walked over and sat on the couch in the room.

"You interest Lord Pain." Konan told him. "Also a few others."

"How is it that you came into your information about us?" Itachi asked.

"Not important. What is important is why you are here." Ichigo told them. "It's not a coincidence that I have run into your little band of criminals three times now. First it was you in that rainy place." He said pointing at Konan. "Then you and fish face at that small town after I left the Leaf village."

"It's true." Itachi said. "Kisame along with myself were sent to try and recruit you and see if you were a threat to our organization." Ichigo rose an eyebrow and turned to Konan.

"And you?"

"I... I... uh..." Konan stuttered as Ichigo's eyes seemed to pierce her.

"Lord Pain sent her after us to make sure we were fully prepared to fight you if need be since she is the only one that had seen you fight before." Itachi told him. "We were not expecting you to be so ruthless."

"**Course you weren't fucker."** A voice said from a dark corner of the room making Ichigo sigh.

"_**There is only so much I can do after a take over Ichigo. I apologize."** _Another voice said.

"It's alright old man." Ichigo said looking over to Zangetsu. "I expected as much."

"**So what did ya think? First taste of Ichigo's killer instinct... frightening huh?"** His Hollow asked as he walked out of the shadows shocking both Konan and Itachi as he was an exact replica of Ichigo just his skin was white and his eyes were the same as they were when he had taken over Ichigo's body, also his hair was white and was waist length and he had a black mask in his hands. Zangetsu appeared next and held his own sword form up to the Hollow's neck. **"Easy Zangetsu."** The Hollow chuckled nervously. **"I just came to say hi."**

"_**Keep your mind games to yourself Hollow."**_

"Who are these two?" Konan asked as she finished healing Kisame. Both the Hollow and Zangetsu looked over to Konan, the Hollow looked a little longer.

"**Damn..."**

"Enough!" Ichigo growled out.

"**Easy King, just checking out the 'busty beauty' as you put it."** The Hollow laughed. **"How about me and you go bump ugly's some where?"** Konan blushed as she turned to Ichigo who was gritting his teeth. **"He's thought about it. Trust me, I'd know. I am his instinct and all."**

"Zangetsu! Is there nothing you can do about him!" Ichigo shouted a small blush covering his face.

"_**Not at this present time Ichigo."**_ Zangetsu told him with a small smile on his face.

"Are you laughing at me old man!" Ichigo shouted. "Damn not both voices in my head are mocking me." Both his Hollow and Zangetsu laughed at that. Ichigo just growled.

"Who are these two?" Itachi asked.

"The old man is Zangetsu." Ichigo told him. "My sword."

"_**A pleasure."**_ Zangetsu greeted.

"The other is..."

"**Awesome, hot, incredibly irresistible? Any of those are fine King."**

"An idiot."

"**Not on the list dumb ass!" **The hollow shouted at him.

"Lets just say it's a long story and leave it at that." Ichigo crossed his arms and leaned back into the couch.

"So the old man is your sword?" Konan asked.

"He's the spirit of my Zanpakuto. He's a part of my soul."

"I see." Itachi said as he nodded his head.

"Now what is it you want with the tailed beasts?" Ichigo asked and Konan stepped forward.

"I can't tell you that." Konan told him. "I am sorry."

"Some of our own members do not know the truth about what we are doing." Itachi told him. "Only a select few, most of which are in this room now."

"What do you plan to do Ichigo? Will you join us?"

"No." Ichigo told them. "Not until I know what your up to, I won't let you take Fu either. I will fight to defend her." He told them seriously.

"The extraction of the tailed beast kills the host." Konan told him sadly.

"Then don't do it!" Ichigo snapped at her making her flinch. "You told me yourself that you hated war! Your killing innocents to stop it!"

"It's true." Konan told him. "But the lives of a few to save the lives of many."

"One life doesn't equal another!" Ichigo shouted. "Don't sacrifice a life to save others!" Ichigo shouted, he got a strange image of a young girl with purple hair and a red ribbon tied to it with large amber eyes.. "You shouldn't sacrifice anyone to get what you want, if you do... it's not worth gaining." He told her.

"Ichigo..."

"Look, the way your going about this is all wrong." Ichigo told them standing up. "War will never change, it will always be there. From what I can tell your going to use the tailed beasts somehow to stop war. Do you really think you can control powerful creatures such as these?"

"It is possible." Itachi told him. "It's been done before."

"Doesn't mean it's right." Ichigo told him. "Do these creatures not deserve the right to make there own choices? Just because there demons doesn't mean they can't be civil." Both Konan and Itachi were shocked. "I met a girl once, she was an enemy to begin with."

"_**Nelliel."**_ Zangetsu said and Ichigo nodded.

"She wasn't human, reaper, hollow or quincy."

"**Idiot, they don't know what they are."** His Hollow told him.

"Doesn't matter!" Ichigo snapped at him. "What the point is, is that just because your a different species or creature, doesn't mean you have to be enemies." Ichigo told them as he sat back down just as the door opened and Fu walked in with a bag. She stopped and looked around the room, Kisame was still passed out on the bed, Konan was standing across the room while Ichigo and Itachi were sitting down. Zangetsu nodded in her direction but her eyes were on the Hollow in the room. All heads turned to Fu who's eyes were wide.

"There are two Ichigo-sensei's?" Fu asked in shock, Ichigo slapped his face while Zangetsu chuckled lightly.

"**That's right!"** His Hollow cheered. **"Now remember everything that idiot told you?"** Fu nodded. **"Forget all of it."** Fu tilted her head to the side.

"Huh?"

"Don't listen to him Fu." Ichigo said as he looked over to Zangetsu who nodded. "He's about to disappear."

"_**I will see what I can do."** _Zangetsu said and Ichigo nodded and soon enough both spirit entities disappeared and Ichigo breathed a sigh of relief before he turned his attention back to Konan and Itachi.

"Now were going to have a little chat."


	10. Chapter 10

Ichigo yawned as he sat up in bed, he had made Zangetsu keep an eye on Fu who was asleep in the other bed in his room since the Akatsuki were still around and so that he still had a peaceful night sleep... if you call Fu crawling into your bed several times peaceful.

He rubbed the back of his hand against his eye as he looked around the room, the three members of the Akatsuki had left, after Kisame had woken up with much help from Konan and her healing green mist as Ichigo had dubbed it, he never understood healing stuff, sure the healing green mist around her hands helped Kisame a bit, but it was nothing compared to Orihime's healing shield. He doubted anything would be the same as that.

Before they had left they had once again asked Ichigo to join up with them. This time Ichigo had given them a reason as to why he would not join.

_**(Flash Back)**_

They all stood in the room, Kisame now awake thanks to Konan's medical jutsu skills. Itachi was now standing and Fu was behind Ichigo who was still sitting on the couch with his arms folded and his eyes narrowed.

"We still wish for you to join us Ichigo." Konan spoke.

"Not going to happen." Ichigo simply said and all others in the room went wide eyed even Fu. She had heard the proposal they had offered and it was something.

"Why not?" Itachi asked. "Do you not wish to be needed? Your strength would be very useful to us." He continued.

"I'm aware of that fact... I'm also aware of the fact that I can easily take you three down without Zangetsu if need be." Ichigo said standing up. "What happened outside before, was nothing. You haven't even seen Bankai yet." Ichigo told them and there eyes were wide open in shock. "You plan to take Fu's life. I will stand in your way every step of the way. The outcome for you doesn't look good now does it?"

"I would agree." Konan said. "Then what would you have us do?"

"Give up this stupid notion of stopping war." Ichigo growled. "It's never going to happen. As long as mankind has hatred there will always be war." Both Itachi and Konan looked down as Kisame just looked out the window a thoughtful look on his face as he did so. "I may not know war in this place, but I know war in my own. It's always bloody, there's always someone who hasn't finished the fight. Stop trying to stop war and focus on something important." Ichigo told them. "Don't come to me with the same proposal again. I will not join the Akatsuki."

"What will you do then?" Konan asked looking up into his brown eyes.

"Fu here is my travel guide along with my student." Ichigo told her. "She will take me places and I'll train her. Easy enough for the time being." Ichigo shrugged.

"I see." Konan said as she headed for the door. "Perhaps we will meet again Ichigo Kurosaki." She said as she opened the door.

"Perhaps." Ichigo replied as Kisame nodded at him and Itachi bowed before leaving after Konan. When Itachi had closed the door the room was silent. Even Fu wasn't making any noise.

_**(Flash Back End)**_

There was a knock on the door and Ichigo narrowed his eyes as he stood out of bed and walked towards the door. He opened it wide and Samui stood there with what seemed to be an annoyed look on her face. Ichigo raised an eyebrow and Samui sighed.

"Ichigo Kurosaki, B-Sensei would like to speak with you." She told him.

"That idiot? What does he want now?" Ichigo mumbled. "Give me a minute and I will meet you down stairs." Samui nodded her head and Ichigo closed the door and walked back into the room. He picked Zangetsu up and placed the Zanpakuto on his back before walking over to Fu's bed and kicking it. "Wake up Fu."

"Ichigo-sensei your so naughty..." Fu mumbled in her sleep and Ichigo grew a tick mark before he walked around the side of the bed and lifted the mattress sending Fu sprawling onto the ground. "Gah!" Fu shouted as she jumped up. "Ichigo-sensei... I had a dream about you." She said rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"Don't want to know Fu." Fu pouted and crossed her arms. "Get ready, we're going to see Killer B." Fu raised an eyebrow before sitting back down on the bed.

"Why do I have to go?" She pouted at him.

"Because I'm not leaving you alone while the Akatsuki may still be present. So get dressed and I'll meet you outside." Ichigo told her as he walked towards the door and stopping.

"Something wrong?" Fu asked as she stood up.

"Are you alright?" Ichigo asked her looking over his shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm fine why." Fu told him.

"Your speaking normally." Ichigo told her and she smiled up at him. "Any reason as to why the change?"

"Fu can talk like this if you want her to." Fu smiled. "Or I can talk like this."

"What's with the change?" Ichigo asked.

"I noticed something... or rather my intuition."

"Intuition?" Ichigo smirked.

"Shut up! A woman's intuition is always right."

"Says who?"

"Woman everywhere!" Ichigo just laughed and Fu pouted. "Anyway... I thought I might try being me for real now." Fu told him. "For years I have been being something I thought everyone wanted me to be." Fu told him. "Now I just want to be me." Ichigo smiled and nodded.

"That's good." Ichigo told her. "Now get ready, I need to pick you up a few things while were here. B might be able to help me with that." Fu's eyes lit up and she nodded quickly and threw off her shirt before running into the bathroom leaving a blushing Ichigo behind. "She will never change." He chuckled lightly before leaving the room. Samui was waiting for him down stairs and the two waited in silence before Fu came rushing down the stairs in her usual attire.

"I'm ready!" She cheered and Samui raised an eyebrow before shrugging and they followed her out into the street, they mostly walked in silence and neither Fu or Ichigo knew where they were going as Samui led them. Soon enough they had come into another training ground. It wasn't as secluded as the first one that B and Ichigo had trashed but it was still nice. Ichigo sighed as he walked forward already seeing Yugito and B arguing over something while the other two students were fighting with one another, probably over something Omoi said.

"This is so not cool." Samui breathed out next to Fu who was staring at her chest before going to look at her own and pouting.

"Your not cool." Fu mumbled.

"What was that?" Samui asked tilting her head to the side. "You say something?"

"I don't like you." Fu told her. Samui was shocked to hear that. "How old are you anyway?"

"About to turn seventeen." Samui told her. "Why?"

"They are so going to sag when your older." Samui's eyes shot wide open and she narrowed them.

"Well at least I have some." Samui snapped at her making Fu narrow her own eyes.

"That's enough you two." Ichigo breathed out. "Nobody cares that your chests will sag."

"Ichigo-sensei! You like my breasts perky right! You don't want something that will hang down past the knees."

"Fu, I'm not having this discussion with you." Ichigo sighed. "Let's just get this over with." Fu stuck her tongue out at Samui who simply mumbled something underneath her breath and followed Ichigo to where B and Yugito were standing.

"Ah Strawberry." B Greeted. "You skipped out on me Yesterday, what was the deal?" Yugito raised an eyebrow at B. "What wrong Kitty cat?"

"Your not rhyming. Why?"

"Ichigo hear won't talk to me if I do." B said folding his arms his fingers twitching making Yugito smirk.

"Must be so hard to do." She grinned like a cat.

"What is it that you wanted to see me about B?" Ichigo asked.

"Big bro's got a proposal for you." B told him. "Not joining the village, and it has nothing to do with Fu." Ichigo relaxed somewhat.

"What type of proposal?"

"You will have to talk to him about it. He will be here shortly." Yugito said. Ichigo shrugged his shoulders and pulled Zangetsu off his back and thrust the blade into the ground before sitting up against it. He looked up at the two Jinjuriki standing before him.

"You two obviously know what this is about."

"We do." Yugito spoke up. "But we don't have to tell you, Lord Raikage said he wished to ask you himself." Ichigo scowled.

"It's a decent proposal." B told him. "You should take it."

"I'll think about it... after I hear it." He said to them as he narrowed his eyes at Yugito who scoffed.

"I'm glad to hear that." A said as he walked over to them. "I hold to my idea that the Akatsuki are after the Jinjuriki." He said as Ichigo stood up. "I want the Jinjuriki of the Hidden Cloud protected. No matter how strong they are with the beast inside, they are still no match for a group of S-class criminals. I have faith in them. But Faith doesn't always give them strength against the odds."

"You want me to protect them?" Ichigo asked confused.

"You have already shown you are enough to stand against the eight tails and come out in victory." A told him. "You protect them, I pay you."

"A mercenary then?" Ichigo asked.

"Along those lines. Body guard. I would rather them be safe outside these walls then in danger within." Ichigo ran a gloved hand though his hair before bringing it down across his face.

"How much we talking here?"

"Fifty thousand ryu a month." Both B and Yugito whistled at that. "It return, you have safe homage here when ever you come."

"A decent pay check and a safe place." Ichigo said. "Little munch don't you think?"

"My brother's life is on the line along with a Jounin of my village, I do what I can to keep my village safe."

"What's the catch." B chuckled nervously at that. "B."

"Well you see..."

"The team is included." Yugito told him.

"of course it is. You want me to go walking around the countries with three Jinjuriki and a rag tag team of beginners?"

"Beginners that have earned the right to be called ninja." Yugito hissed at him. "You would do well to remember that." Ichigo narrowed his eyes at her before sighing.

"Fu!" Ichigo called out and Fu turned around to look at them. "What do you think about a few more traveling companions?" Fu thought for a moment before turning to Samui.

"She going to be one of them?" Ichigo nodded his head at her. "Just as long as she tells me her secret then I'm fine with it." Ichigo chuckled lightly while Samui narrowed her eyes at the green haired girl.

"I'll do it." Ichigo told A. "First things first. Where can I buy swords from?" A just laughed lightly as he pointed at B.

"He can help you with that." Ichigo nodded his head and B cheered before wrapping his arm around Ichigo's neck and pulling him back towards town.

"_Why do I feel like I'm going to regret this."_


	11. Chapter 11

Ichigo kept a steady pace in front of everyone else trying to make himself invisible, oh how he missed being back in Karakura town when the normal humans without any spiritual pressure couldn't see him at all. He had expected that nobody would be able to see him in this strange place but just so happened to be that any little guy such as a small child who pointed him out to his mother could see him. If he was back in Karakura town it wouldn't have bothered him so much because if they could see him then they could more then likely see Hollows and he would be acknowledged as a hero of Karakura for all the things he had done for them, but alas that was not the case. He was no longer in Karakura town and there were no Hollows that Ichigo could sense. You may be asking yourself as to why Ichigo was trying to make himself invisible and this had to do with his companions... not just one of them but all of them. They were a bunch of fucking whack jobs.

Fu being his first companion was young and childish to start off with and very, very possessive of Ichigo when it came to other woman. For the three days that they had left the Hidden Cloud village she had been constantly warning Karui, Samui and Yugito that Ichigo was hers and hers alone. For the first day the three girls just laughed it off until the second day when Fu had glared at them all when they were talking with one another, especially if they were talking to Ichigo. Then that night Fu had put bugs in all there tents bringing about a screaming morning this morning making everyone grumpy that they were up so early in the morning, well everyone was angry except Fu who had a victorious smirk on her face.

Two others were Karui and Omoi, the two youngest in Killer B's and Yugito's Genin squad. Or as Ichigo had dubbed there team the bunch of annoyances. The two were always at each others throats, well mostly Karui since Omoi had a pretty carefree attitude until he started to think about what would have happened when someone did something that might have caused a cataclysm in his mind. Ichigo just dubbed him the freak with too much time on his hands. While Karui was rash, arrogant, loud, annoying and just damn right bitchy like it was always her time of the month. The arguments between the two were always annoying.

Then there was Samui who seemed normal on the outside and usually kept her calm emotionless facade up until... she saw something cool. Then that was gone and showed that she was a teenage girl underneath the facade she had put up. For the first day she had been able to keep the mask up until the second day when B told her to train with Ichigo, to see how she held up to Ichigo's fighting skill in battle. Soon enough she was flat on her ass with wide eyes and a little gleam in them as she stared up at him. Ever since she had been completely admiring Ichigo and not secretly either. She would come up and tell him to his face, it was like she had no shame at all. Ichigo blamed B for that one.

Then there was Yugito, it was like she had it out form him ever since before they left the damn village. She was like a damn troop leader and wanted to take charge as soon as they were out of shouting distance from the Hidden Cloud. Ichigo hadn't let that one slid and told her if she didn't like his pace she could very well go back to the village... not his words exactly but you get the point. Ever since then he swore she had it out for him and tried his best to keep out of her line of sight, hearing range which in fact was quite large, and pretty much just kept away from her in general. He dubbed Yugito Tatsuki number two just with extra bitchiness times a hundred.

Then there was B. Oh how he hated the man. Never did he ever shut up! Always rhyming always writing things down in his little rhyme book. It was driving Ichigo insane. On more then one occasion had Ichigo threatened to burn the book if he didn't shut up and for a while it worked but he came back rhyming every time and scribbling in his notebook. So Ichigo had taken it upon himself to wear ear plugs. Not only did this stop him from hearing B's stupid rhymes but it also stopped him from hearing anything else that went on behind him. It was quite peaceful until his Hollow started to annoy him and Zangetsu had started to tell knock knock jokes again. Oh how he hated his inner spirits at times of peace and quiet. So as they walked Ichigo was completely ignoring everything around him. He didn't know where he was going let alone where he wanted to go.

So that was why Ichigo wanted to be invisible. He was tapped on the shoulder and he ignored it before continuing to walk along only to be hit in the back of the head making him growl as he turned around to see Yugito with a very pissed off expression on her face shouting at him... he had no idea what she was saying. He reached up and pulled the ear plugs out only to be assaulted by a loud voice and he winced as Yugito continued to shout profanities and call him every name under the sun for ignoring her. Ichigo just sighed and waited for her to finish, it would just get worse if he interrupted her.

"Now!" Yugito shouted at him bringing Ichigo out of his muse. "Where the hell are we going?" Ichigo just simply shrugged.

"Wouldn't have a clue." He told her making everyone sweat drop and Yugito to growl at him.

"Shouldn't you have some idea of where we are going?"

"Probably." Ichigo said as he folded his arms behind his head. "Just haven't thought that far ahead yet." Yugito growled at him again and Ichigo reached into his shikakusho and pulled out a map and looked it over. "Hmm... we should probably go somewhere though."

"Nah duh! You don't think?"

"Damn it, would you shut your trap for five damn minutes!" Ichigo shouted at her before sighing and looking back at the map. _"__Alright... so I have been to the land of fire __and the Hidden Leaf__... land of waterfalls __and the village there__... and the land of lightning __and the Hidden Village in the Clouds__... where else could I go?"_ He mused as he looked over the map. "What's Suna like?" Ichigo asked.

"We're not going there." Yugito told him.

"Why not?" Ichigo asked.

"It's in the middle of the desert! I don't feel like hiking through a desert do you!" She growled at him making Ichigo sigh, he didn't really want to walk through a desert. He looked back at his map and continued to try and decide.

"Yo yo little strawberry! Big B's got a place for you to be!" Ichigo narrowed his eyes as he looked over the map at B who had a big grin on his face with his hands on his hips.

"Where?"

"The Land of water!" He cheered. Ichigo looked at his map and looked to see the land of water and saw where they were on the map, he may have no clue as to where he was going but he had traced where they had been since leaving the Hidden Cloud village.

"Fair enough." Ichigo said. "You actually said something good for once B." Ichigo told him making B grin before it faded and he deflated.

"Make up your mind Ichigo-sensei?" Fu asked appearing over his shoulder making him sigh.

"Yeah, we're going to the Land of Water." Ichigo told her making her smile.

"Finally a destination!" She cheered. "Wait... isn't the Hidden Mist village in a war?" She asked making B nod his head.

"Yeah, that's true." Yugito agreed. "There was an uprising, from what I hear there still in the middle of it."

"We have got to help them Ichigo-sensei!" Fu told him.

"Help who Fu?" Ichigo asked. "The up risers or the Village? I'm not getting into a war just because you want to help someone Fu." Ichigo told her. "I'm sorry." Fu looked away at that. Ichigo walked over and sat down on a tree stump. "What do the rest of you think?"

"We should do something." Yugito told him. "Even if it's not complete retaliation to the war itself."

"I would have to agree with Yugito-sensei." Samui said stepping forward. "We may be able to liberate a village that has been captured or something along those lines. Some of the villagers in the Land of Water, will be poor and have trouble getting food from other places. If we can do something for them it might change the outcome."

"But what if we get caught up in the war? Then we get caught and the girls are tortured while we are sent to work for the enemy and..." Omoi started before he was hit in the back of the head.

"Omoi! Shut up!" Karui shouted. "No body has time for your damn theories! This is serious!"

"B?" Ichigo asked and the large man looked at Ichigo. "What do you think?"

"Hmm... I think getting into a war with no reason is a stupid idea." Ichigo nodded his head in agreement. "But I also know why the uprising started. It's why I suggested we go to the Land of Water to help the uprising." Ichigo narrowed his eyes.

"I'm not fighting a war that isn't mine to fight." He told him sternly and the others were shocked at how serious he was, Fu had seen it once when he had defended her at the Hidden Waterfall village and he had stormed the tower. "I've already fought a war, and the thanks I get is being banished. Why should I fight a war that has nothing to do with me?"

"Ichigo-sensei..." Fu whispered, she remembered Ichigo telling her that he could never go home but she never knew why he couldn't.

"Don't you care?" Yugito asked him. "A war here doesn't just affect the land it is in. It effects everyone. Trade has stopped with the Hidden Cloud and the Hidden Mist, it's not like we can have the supplies we can only get through the Hidden Mist."

"Then do something about it!" Ichigo growled at her making her take a step back. "Don't drag me into a war!" Yugito folded her arms and looked away.

"Fine." B told him. "We won't drag you into the War, but at least come with us so we can help the surrounding villages most effected by the war. It's the least we can do." Ichigo set his scowl in place and stood up.

"Fine, but don't think about dragging me into it." Ichigo told him to which he nodded his head and the group began to move out again. All the thoughts on there mind was how Ichigo had been so dead set on not having to fight within the war._ "__Every where I go I always get roped into a War, first it was the attack on Soul Society to save Rukia which I don't blame her for, then the Bounts and how they had told me I was no different from them. Then the war with Aizen and Hueco Mundo. I saved Karakura town and lost my powers because of it... was it worth getting them back? I can't protect my friends like I wanted and now... I'm somewhere heading to another War zone.__ Is this how the rest of my life will be? Heading into a War zone to fight."_ Ichigo shook his head and continued to walk on. He didn't want to think about it.


	12. Chapter 12

"Hey Ichigo-sensei! Ichigo-sensei! Ichigo-sensei!" Fu continued to shout as she jumped around Ichigo who had a very annoyed look on his face as the group continued to walk towards the Land of Waves. "Ichigo-sensei!"

"She's just going to keep at it until you give up you know?" Omoi asked as he walked next to Ichigo. "Until your bones turn to ash and they blow away in the wind..." He trailed off.

"Do you ever have a positive thought in your entire head?" Ichigo asked as he looked at Omoi out of the corner of his eye to see him shrug. Fu still bouncing around reminding Ichigo of a hyper kid on red cordial.

"Ichigo-sensei!"

"What is it Fu?" Ichigo asked making Fu stop jumping around.

"I have a great idea!"

"Here we go." Karui chuckled. "What is it going to be this time?" She asked Samui who simply shrugged while Yugito and Bee walked behind them all going to listen to Fu's great new idea.

"Ichigo-sensei should become a Kage!" She cheered. "You're like totally powerful and all."

"She's right Ichigo, you are strong enough to be a Kage." Bee added. "No one has ever stopped a Tailed Beast Ball before, it would make the history books."

"Eh? A Kage like your big brother?" Ichigo questioned. "Why the hell would I want to do that? Locked up in an office all day not getting to do what I want only what the pricks of a village wanted me to do. Doesn't seem like my type of job."

"Yeah you're to stupid, you may have the strength but you don't have the tact." Yugito smirked.

"Shut up Yugito." Ichigo mumbled. "Nobody asked you."

"That's why you make your own village Ichigo-sensei! Become a Kage of your own village and kick so much ass everyone has to accept you as a hidden Village! Then you don't have to put up with councils, old men who want to tell you what to do or paper work! You could do what you wanted! With many wives! Me being the first of course!"

"How did we get back onto this subject?" Ichigo questioned. "Fu I'm seventeen... how many times do I have to tell you I'm not getting married yet!"

"Yeah I know, you like told me a hundred times yesterday." Fu giggled. "I was just saying... it could be Ichigo's super harem of harem strawberry's!" She shouted making Ichigo's left eye twitch. "Don't you think that would be so cool?"

"It would be cool." Samui chuckled lightly. "So Ichigo planning to become a Kage of the hidden pleasure's of woman?"

"Don't you start too." Ichigo sighed as he ran a hand down his face. The group continued to walk towards the land of waves. Ever since they had decided, most had avoided the subject with Ichigo, even Yugito had seen how he had been and hadn't even attempted to waver on his nerves about it. She didn't think he had much patience for such things.

It wasn't that she didn't like Ichigo, after his usual hard demeanour and scowling face he was actually quite easy to get along with. Omoi, Bee, Karui and Samui had already seemed to be getting along with him even if Ichigo acted irritated at most of the things they did. Surely they were the same things that Yugito got irritated at. As the group reached a large bridge they all looked up and everyone rose an eyebrow. The Great Naruto bridge? Why the hell was a bridge named after a fish cake? The group began to walk over the bridge only to be greeted with a prospering village on the other side of the bridge.

"Well, this is surprising." Bee said as he looked around. "I half expected the war to have come this far up already." Ichigo looked around and saw everyone with smiles on their faces as they went about their daily work. It looked like the town had been under going remodelling, not just some buildings but every building.

"This is a war torn country?" Ichigo asked as he looked over his shoulder at Bee. "Looks like they have been rolling in riches for years."

"Just recently the village of Wave was given back to the people." Yugito told him. "It was under the control of Gato of Gato corporations." She continued. "Just over a month ago the Hidden Leaf managed to aid the people here. Gato was killed by Zabuza Momochi while he also lost his life along with his student."

"The hidden leaf huh?" Ichigo questioned. "I think I was there for that Chunnin exams or whatever when that battle broke out." He said as he continued to walk leaving everyone looking at him with wide eyes. "That was sure a nuisance. Had to go save a ramen girl from getting hurt by some sound ninja or whatever." He sighed. "Speaking of which... she said she'd give me a free bowl next time I went maybe we should go?"

"Your such a tight arse Ichigo." Yugito sighed. "You would walk days just for a free meal? What kind of moocher are you?" Ichigo's eyebrow twitched.

"I am not a moocher! She offered me good and decent hospitality! Why wouldn't I accept!"

"Tight arse."

"It does seem kinda cheap of you Ichigo-sensei." Fu reasoned. "Or is there another reason you want to go see this ramen girl?" Her eyes started to shine. "Do you already have another member of your harem, Kage Ichigo!"

"Just be quiet Fu." Ichigo sighed as they continued to walk along. Soon enough they had walked thought the small prospering village and had once again entered the dense forests of the land of water.

"So how far from the war torn country exactly are we..." Ichigo said before everyone but Ichigo jumped away as a massive wave of water crashed over him. "I guess I got my answer." Ichigo growled as he picked himself up from the ground his clothes soaked. "Just who the hell do you think you are! Bunch of jerks throwing a bucket of water at me!"

"Ah... Ichigo-sensei. That was a jutsu." Fu said jumping down next to him. "It's a group of mist ninja." Ichigo looked up to see that indeed it was a group of ninja but he wasn't actually there target it was a woman. She was a slender woman in her late twenties She has green eyes, and ankle-length, auburn hair styled into a herringbone pattern at the back, a top-knot tied with a dark blue band, and with four bangs at the front. Two bangs are short, with one covering her right eye, and two are long, crossing each other on her bust, just below her chin.

She wore a long-sleeved, dark blue dress that falls just below the knees, it had several burn marks and cuts in various places. It seems to be closed at the front with a zip, and is kept open on the front-right side from the waist down. The dress only covered up to the upper part of her arms and the underside of her breasts. Underneath, she wears a mesh armour that covers more of her upper body than her dress, but stops short of covering her shoulders and still leaves a sizeable cleavage. She also wears shorts in the same colour as her dress and, underneath those, mesh leggings reaching down over her knees.

Around her waist, she wears a belt with a pouch attached to the back on the left along with high-heeled sandals and shin-guards reaching up over her knees, dark blue polish on her fingers and toes, and is usually shown with dark blue lipstick.

The woman was out of breath and on her last legs. Ichigo sighed as he reached for Zangetsu. He wasn't about to let a woman be attacked by a group of men.

"Wait Ichigo." Bee said. "I thought you didn't want to get involved."

"I don't." Ichigo said as he looked over his shoulder at the man. "Doesn't mean I'll sit back and watch a woman be ambushed by several people." Ichigo sweat dropped as he saw Fu go off into a fantasy.

"Oh... so many Ichigo-sensei's..." She giggled as a blush came to her face. "You so naughty Ichigo-sensei." Ichigo face palmed.

"Let us handle this Ichigo. You go make sure the woman is able to stand." Yugito said. "It will keep you out of it won't it?" Ichigo grit his teeth before nodding. Bee, Yugito and their team all jumped into action fighting the mist ninja, Fu was still in dream land as Ichigo walked over to the wide eyed woman.

"You ok?" Ichigo asked only for the woman's legs to give out and to collapse into him. "I'll take that as a no." He said as he lifted her up over his shoulder and took her back to where Fu was. "Fu... make some sough of clearing... FU!" He shouted snapping her out of her day dream. "You're drooling."

"Oh... sorry there was just so many Ichigo-sensei's to occupy." She giggled with a light blush wiping her chin. Ichigo just hung his head. "I'll set up camp for us."

"Yeah, you do that." Ichigo said as he rested the woman down next to a tree. He crouched down to check if she was alright when her eyes fluttered open to see Ichigo checking her over.

"If... if you weren't the enemy... I would have suggested we take this to the bedroom handsome." The woman chuckled, exhaustion clearly showing as Ichigo looked up at her.

"Who said I'm the enemy?" Ichigo asked as he checked her forehead temperature. "Fu get me the first aid kit out of my bag."

"Right away Ichigo-sensei!" Fu cheered before bringing the kit over to him. Ichigo opened it up and pulled out a roll over bandages before ripping off her sleeve ro reveal several wounds from where she hadn't been quick enough to dodge some kunai that had been thrown at her. The woman tried to sit up but Ichigo held her unwounded shoulder.

"Just stay still, I'm not doctor but I can at least give these some clean bandages." Ichigo told her, she stopped struggling and just watched as he wrapped the bandages around her arm. As he finished bandaging her arm he grabbed his canteen of water and held it up to her lips and she drank.

"So what's the name of my handsome rescuer then?" She questioned.

"Just rest. You look like you havn't slept in days." Ichigo told her as her eyes were already starting to close.

"Mei... Mei Terumi." She managed to get out before she fell asleep.

"She going to be alright Ichigo-sensei?" Fu questioned looking over at him.

"She is just exhausted. I will have one of the girls look over her later, to make sure nothing else is physical wrong with her." Fu nodded her head as Ichigo walked over and sat down beside her as she had some kindling burning away. The cloud ninja had taken their opponents away from the area for the time being.

"Hey Ichigo-sensei." Fu said looking up at Ichigo who looked back at her. "Can I ask, why you don't want to fight?" Ichigo sighed, it wasn't his usual annoyance sigh but one of someone beyond his age.

"You know how you were treated in your village Fu? They treated you like dirt because you hold a demon inside you." Fu nodded her head. "The place I came from was a place called the Soul Society. It had thirteen squads for a military and then there was the central forty six that controlled the general laws of those squads. But there word was law. You couldn't disobey them no matter what. Seventeen months before I came to the elemental nations. I fought in a war, it was brutal. I ended up losing my powers because of it." Fu's eyes were wide. "In all honesty. I didn't mind. Since I no longer had these powers I could go about a normal life. But there was always the gap that my powers left. So seventeen months later I started to get them back through odd means. Eventually the people who had promised me my power back... took it from me once more. They turned my friends and family against me before bringing me to my knees and taking everything from me. That was when I regained my powers... my true powers once again." He explained as Fu listened. "Then when I returned to the Soul Society after they had given me my powers back. Central forty six deemed me to powerful... and cast me out. That was how I ended up here. I will no longer fight for someone who could just as easily throw me away Fu. Do you understand?"

"I think so Ichigo-sensei." Fu said. "You were betrayed... it's hard to forgive after such a betrayel." Ichigo nodded his head as he placed a hand on her head, her green locks passing through his fingers as he messed it up a little bit.

"But that doesn't mean I won't protect you Fu. If Akatsuki or anyone come's after you. I will protect you. If they take you from me. The gates of hell won't stop me from bringing you back to me alright?" Fu quickly nodded her head.

"I wish I could be as strong as you Ichigo-sensei." Fu said with a smile.

"Then I should start to teach you thinks other then proper morals now shouldn't I? Since it doesn't seem like that's working anyway." He mumbled to himself while Fu smiled.


	13. Chapter 13

It was strange, she was hearing something she hadn't heard in so long. It was so foreign to her yet it was one of the simplest sounds anyone could make. It was laughter. Had she been at war for so long that she had forgotten what it sounded like? She cracked an eye open just enough to peak through to see that it was late afternoon, from what she could tell they had laid her against a tree, she was surprised to find she wasn't tied up, hell she couldn't even sense that anyone was watching her.

That's when it came back to her, she was running from two enemy ninja, she had gone to check on surrounding villages only for her team to be wiped out and for them to push her back. She had dealt with the majority of the enemy but she could only do so much. She felt the bandages around her arm and mid section, the orange haired teen had been telling her the truth. He had healed her, or at least bandaged her wounds. She rose a hand to her bandaged stomach and used her other hand to stabilize herself as she tried to push herself up.

"Whoa there." A voice said as she felt a hand on her shoulder making her look up to see a blonde woman crouching beside her. "Take it easy, your suffering extreme chakra exhaustion along with some serious wounds. You shouldn't try and move around too much." Yugito told her picking up a bottle of water. "Here drink this." She continued raising it to her lips.

"Thank you." Mei rasped out as Yugito raised the water to her lips. When the water was lowered Mei breathed out a heavy sigh and relaxed back against the tree only to hear the laughter again.

"Ichigo-sensei you're mean!" A shout came out in a burst of laughter.

"Gah! Fu get back here!" Another shout before more laughter from the girl who had shouted first and even more laughter off to the side. Mei looked up at Yugito to see her with an irritated expression on her face.

"They act like damn children." Yugito muttered under her breath before turning back to Mei. "How are you feeling? The idiot was able to bandage and treat most of your wounds."

"He did well." Mei told her. "Does he have some type of medical training?"

"Not that I know of." Yugito breathed out. "He is as much as an enigma as the rebel leader running through the forest alone." Mei tensed up before Yugito smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's alright, we're not going to hurt you." She continued.

"Why are Kumo ninja's so far away from the land of Lightning?" Mei questioned taking in her attire and her headband.

"It's a long story." Yugito told her before a sword came flying out of the trees and planted itself about four meters above Mei's head.

"Rhyme again you bastard and I'll shove the next one right up your ass."

"Bu-!"

"Up your ass!"

"Ichi-!"

"ASS!" Yugito face palmed as she walked up the tree and retrieved the wooden sword and pulled it out before jumping back down and thrust the wooden sword into the ground, irritation clearly showing on her face.

"The idiot!" She growled. "B knows not to rhyme yet does it anyway." She huffed in annoyance before turning back to Mei. "You alright?"

"Yeah." Mei said pushing herself to her feet using the tree to stabilize herself. The trees began to move and Mei looked over while Yugito pulled the sword and as soon as she saw B she threw the wooden sword at him sending him flying back.

"My back it's going to break!" Omoi shouted as B more then likely landed on him.

"Omoi shut up and get up already!" Karui shouted.

"Ichigo-sensei why are they laying on one another?" Fu asked.

"Because they are idiots, two idiots doing idiotic things because their idiots." Ichigo muttered as he walked out of the trees and stopped as he saw Mei standing and watching with wide eyes, it had been a long time since she had seen people communicate like that to one another. "Oh you're up." Ichigo said starting to walk over to her. "You need anything?"

"I'm fine, thank you." Ichigo simply nodded his head before Yugito hit him in the back of the head.

"What was that for!" Ichigo growled at her.

"You almost hit us with that damn sword!" Yugito growled as she pointed up above Mei's head to where the wooden sword had been seated moments before hand.

"No wonder I missed B, I aimed too high." Yugito went to hit her again only for Ichigo to grab her wrist. "I am really getting sick of you hitting me Yugito." Ichigo growled at her, glaring right back into her eyes. "Cut it out." Yugito ripped her wrist from his grip and he turned back to Mei. "What were you doing all the way out here?" He questioned, Mei gave him a quizzical look before looking to Yugito.

"He doesn't know who you are." Yugito sighed. "No surprise there."

"Am I suppose to know who the hell some strange lady is running away from a bunch of creeps in the middle of a damn forest, when I don't even know where I am!" Ichigo roared at her.

"I'm Mei Terumi, rebel leader." Ichigo rose an eyebrow.

"Rebel? Like the biker gang?" Ichigo questioned before getting strange looks. "Right... forget that last part." He mumbled to himself.

"You know the war I told you about." B said walking forward, Ichigo looking over his shoulder at him. "The rebels are uprising against the current Mizukage." Ichigo growled.

"I thought I told you I didn't want to know any of that crap." Ichigo growled out.

"You asked!" B shouted at him before turning to Mei who was looking oddly at the duo. "Sorry about Ichigo, he... he's not one for conflict." B said.

"No I'm just not one for getting involved in a war that doesn't concern me!" Ichigo growled. "Don't try and sweeten it with lies when you damn well know the truth." Ichigo huffed. B sighed, he had heard the story from Fu about why Ichigo wouldn't get into a conflict. He couldn't say that Ichigo was wrong in doing so, if what he had told Fu was the truth then he had every right to walk away from a fight.

"What were you doing out here anyway?" Yugito asked. "Shouldn't you have been at the front lines, or atleast been with a team?" She questioned.

"I was... at the start anyway. We were ambushed, taken by surprise we lost seven, the remaining five went to retreat, but as we did we were ambushed again and lost our way in the mist." Mei told them. "Several of us fell pray to the last ambush." Yugito nodded her head, deep in thought. "Our mission was to see how the villages in this part of the country were fairing during the war, if we could gain their support we could have more help in the battle."

"Understandable." B said showing some intelligence. "If you didn't show concern for the surrounding towns then even if you did win you would have no one backing you." Mei nodded her head in agreement.

"You still haven't told me why Kumo ninja's are here in the land of water." She said to Yugito.

"It's a long story." Yugito told her with a sigh. "B here thought it would be a good idea to come check out things and see how they were going with the war. It was just luck that we happened to come by you is all."

"I see." Mei said as she looked over the small odd group of ninja... and Ichigo, he was the only one without a headband and didn't look to be a ninja. "So the Raikage didn't send aid."

"Aid?" Yugito asked.

"Over the last few months we have sent requests of aid to all of the Great Ninja villages." Mei said with a sigh. "So far, you are the first ninjas we have seen." Innocent whistling came from behind Ichigo and Yugito making the orange haired teens eye twitch. The two looked over to see B with his arms folded behind his head looking every where but at the two of them.

"You didn't." Yugito said to the other cloud Jinjuriki "Tell me you didn't."

"If he did... so far up his ass my foot will go!" Ichigo growled as he stood up and turned to B who chuckled sheepishly. "Explain! Now!" He growled making B sigh.

"It was before I found out you were against the whole going to war for no reason thing." B sighed as he turned to Ichigo to see him walking away. "Hey where you going!"

"I told you I'm not doing this." Ichigo said, anger clearly showing in his voice. "Fu! Let's go, we're heading to the Leaf. I want free ramen no matter how much it sickens me to say that." Ichigo growled crouching down to pick up his bag.

"So what you're just going to walk away?" Yugito asked stopping Ichigo, Fu and the three Genin watching what was happening. "Just like that, turn your back on all of this?" Ichigo turned and looked over his shoulder at them.

"You ever been betrayed?" Ichigo questioned his eyes hard. "By people you once saved? That changed your life, risked it on several occasions?"

"Ninja's risk their lives everyday." Yugito told him and she took a step back as his eyes flashed black and gold.

"Have you ever had your heart destroyed by an enemy so powerful you had no chance in hell of winning turning you into a monster!" Everyone was blown of there feet as Ichigo let a powerful burst of reiatsu surge through his body before it lashed out with his anger. He took a deep breath and calmed down, his breathing labored as everyone looked up at him with wide eyes.

"I wouldn't expect any of you to understand." Ichigo told them. "I've died twice, the same person destroying my heart both times, risked my life to stop an immortal enemy that is still alive today when none of it was my fight." Ichigo told them. "Then they turn their backs on me, cast me out just because of what... fear?" He questioned balling his hands into fists. "I know that the lives of a Jinjuriki is a hard one, I have no right to even compare what I went through to that." He told them. "But don't make me fight a war I have no connection to, it's not my fight." He slung his bag over his shoulder and walked to the edge of the trees. He looked to Fu who looked over the others before grabbing her own bag and running after him as he walked into the trees leaving Mei and the shocked Kumo ninja.


	14. Chapter 14

"Are we there yet."

"No."

"How bout now?"

"No."

"Want to sing a song?"

"Do I look like I'm in a singing mood."

"How about humming?"

"Just be quiet."

"But Ichigo-sensei!" Fu whined. "We've been walking forever!"

"We will get there today stop your damn complaining." Ichigo groaned at her. "Look, from what I could see when I checked it out earlier it should only be a couple of hours before we reach the Hidden Leaf village. So just bare with it." Ichigo told her making her slump over.

"Well... okay." She smiled up at him and he patted her on the head.

"Come on, the sooner we get there the sooner we can get a room and go to sleep." He told her.

"A room huh?" Fu questioned. "Not two?"

"Cheaper this way."

"Ichigo-sensei, you're so cheap. But I'm not complaining! It means I get to sleep with Ichigo-sensei!" She cheered jumping up and down. "It's going to be so awesome!" Ichigo sighed in annoyance but kept on walking. It had been two days since the two of them had left the Kumo ninja and the rebel leader. Ichigo wandered how they had been faring but figured they would be able to handle themselves. They had two Jinjuriki, he doubted the other side even had one. B had told him there were nine in all. It's not like you just find them wandering around. Fu the exception of course. The two continued to walk before something odd stopped them in their tracks, before them was a massive clearing but however... the entire clearing was filled with fallen down trees.

"Fu, I know I'm not very accustomed to this place... but is this normal?"

"I don't think so Ichigo-sensei." Fu said raising a finger to her chin in thought. "You think someone did this?" Ichigo shrugged his shoulder and walked forward jumping up onto one of the many trees and scanning the area for anything. Something metal glimmered in the sun light making Ichigo walk forward across the maze of giant trees that looked to be thrown about as if nothing. "Ichigo-sensei wait for me!" Fu whined, Ichigo looked over his shoulder to see Fu climbing up a tree, she could walk on water and up trees but it took her effort for climbing up a log? Sometimes Ichigo wandered how she functioned at all.

"I saw something over here Fu, just checking it out." Ichigo called back before turning and walking over another log. He crouched down as he saw the glint of metal stuck between two logs and reached down and pulled it free before bringing it up and examining it. "Some sought of flute?" He questioned as he turned it over in his hands, the air holes down the side reminded him of Yuzu's old flute that she never got around to playing. However this flute had been sliced in half, half way down diagonally. "Must have been a fight or something..." He trailed off looking around once more.

He closed his eyes and sensed for any traces of spiritual pressure on anyone in the area, he had found since his time in this strange and odd world, that he could sense chakra within a ninja's body but he had to focus a lot more since it wasn't exactly the same as sensing other Soul Reapers or spiritually aware people. His eyes snapped open as he felt the faint trace of fading chakra, meaning the person was close to death's door.

He dashed across a hundred meters of fallen trees, shocking Fu at his incredible speed before she watched a tree fly off in a random direction. She dashed over to him and gasped as she saw a girl, probably around her own age with red hair and unconscious, her legs still under a fallen tree, in her left hand the other end of the flute Ichigo was still holding.

"We've got to get her to a hospital." Fu told him making him nod his head in agreement.

"We'll take her to the Hidden Leaf, why is it that every time I stop, I pick up stragglers?" He asked her making her giggle lightly before he walked over to the trunk on her legs and simply lifted it up and threw it a distance away.

"You're outrageously strong Ichigo-sensei." Fu told him. "I've never seen someone throw a tree like that before." Ichigo gave her a quick smirk before crouching down next to the unconscious red head and looked over her legs, obviously broken in several places. "Do we need to make a stretcher?" She asked looking down at the girl.

"No, she wouldn't be alive by the time we got her to the village." Ichigo mused. "I'll have to take her to the village, do you mind taking the bags Fu?" Fu grinned at him before saluting.

"I will do this for you Ichigo-sensei! Save the girl!" She laughed making him shake his head before nodding.

"Alright, meet me in the village before sun down, alright?" He asked and she nodded her head. He stood up and handed his pack to her which she took off him before grinning and dashing out into the forest once more. Ichigo turned down to the red head and picked her up, a groan of pain erupted from her making Ichigo frown, nobody should be left to die alone like this.

With that thought going through his head, Ichigo turned in the direction of the Hidden Leaf and mustered all his speed before flying off in said direction, the girl in his arms. What would have been a four hour walk was a three minute flight for Ichigo as he all but tore down the large gates as he flew in them. As soon as he stopped and looked around he was surrounded by over twenty ninja's all standing in attack ready stances.

"Where the fuck is the hospital!" Ichigo roared at them. Ichigo was lucky as a woman with a small pig in arm came rushing to his side seeing the unconscious girl in his arms.

"Please follow me, we'll aid her immediately." The woman told him and Ichigo nodded as he followed the woman down a street leaving several ninja to look at the destruction that Ichigo had left behind him when he had been entering the village, for as far as the eye could see, trees had been uprooted and a clear crevice where Ichigo had sped through was clearly seen. All they could do was stare at it in awe. The woman led him to the hospital and Ichigo could only watch as she barked orders at nurses and before Ichigo knew what was happening the girl had been pulled from his arms and taken away. The woman then turned to him.

"Are you ok? No injuries to be tended to?" She asked him.

"No, I'm fine." Ichigo told her. "Is she going to be ok?" Shizune looked back down the hall where they had taken the young girl.

"Hard to say, with the way she looked she's been dehydrated for some time now, who knows what infections have grown on her legs and her legs may be un-repairable, luckily there were no bones breaking through skin so we don't have to worry about any bone infections but still..." She shook her head. "All we can do is wait, luckily Lady Tsunade is in today, she has a better hope at surviving now." Ichigo looked down at her, wandering if he should know this Tsunade person. She looked back up at him. "How are you and her related?"

"Huh?" Ichigo questioned surprised by the woman's own question.

"I wouldn't imagine you storming into a village like that over some stranger, you know her correct?" She asked him.

"Oh yeah, she's my little sister... Yuzu." Ichigo told her. She gave him a look that almost made him tell her the truth, that he had found her out in the forest but she simply shrugged and grabbed a medical form and handed it to Ichigo.

"Anything you know about her medical history would be much appreciated."

"She's never really been sick, this is the first time that she's been in a hospital really." Ichigo said taking the offered form. He wrote Yuzu Kurosaki at the head if the form and then looked down at the others... Age?...fifteen... Height?... small... Body measurements?... you don't need to know that! Ichigo had guessed everything he could, then when it came to actual medical stuff he just left it all blank, he didn't want to write something and then for the doctors to make her condition worse.

"Done?" Shizune questioned. Ichigo nodded and handed her the form back, she went over and it lowered the form before looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

"What?" He asked. "I don't know everything about my sister." He growled at her making her smile and nod her head.

"It's ok, if you follow me, I can take you to the surgery waiting room?" She questioned and he nodded his head and followed her through the many halls. When she had directed him to an open area with chairs and a small stack of magazines he took a seat and she told him that she would give him any information when she knew. "And..." Ichigo turned back to her as he was looking through a magazine. "Please remember that this is a hospital, I would have said something earlier but we don't like weapons in the building usually, I'll make sure security knows that you're a special case."

"Thank you." Ichigo nodded his head. "I'll be sure not to cause any trouble." Shizune smiled and walked off entering the operating room and going to prep for surgery. Ichigo slumped down in one of the uncomfortable waiting chairs placing Zangetsu down next to him throwing the magazine back onto the table. He rose his hands to either side of his head and rubbed his temples in frustration. When was his life ever going to get simple? He just hoped Fu found the hospital with no issues... with that thought in mind he closed his eyes, slumped back against the chair and fell asleep.

What felt like minutes was actually three hours when Ichigo was roughly awoken a blade at his neck making him narrow his eyes as he turned his head to stare up at the man with silver hair who was looking down at him, his face mostly covered and only his left eye uncovered, the man pointed in the direction Ichigo's body was facing and he turned his neck to see a blonde woman sitting opposite him her eyes narrowed and her arms folded across her bust that could match Rangiku's. His eyes darted to her side where Zangetsu was now resting making him narrow his eyes more.

"I'm going to ask you a series of questions and you're going to answer them." The woman said. "First of all I'm Tsunade Senju, Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village, the village you're currently in."

"Suppose to mean something?" Ichigo asked before the man behind him pressed the knife to his neck tighter.

"You're addressing the Hokage, have some more respect." He said in a lazy tone.

"It's fine Kakashi." Tsunade told him. "What is your name."

"Look did I do something wrong here?" Ichigo questioned. "If this is how you treat all your visitors then no wonder you guys were attacked a few months back." Tsunade narrowed her eyes at him even more letting a bit of killing intent that didn't bother Ichigo in the slightest, he simply yawned.

"Just answer the question, then we can move on." Kakashi sighed behind him making Ichigo look up at the man who was now looking bored, his hand that was by his side twitching making Ichigo raise an eyebrow before sighing and turning back to Tsunade.

"Ichigo Kurosaki." He told her.

"Shizune told me you were the one to bring that girl here? You're sister I believe she said."

"What of it?" He questioned.

"If she is indeed your sister then I'm sure you'd like to know she's going to make it." Tsunade watched his face for any emotional connection but saw none. "What do you know about Orochimaru?"

"Fuck all." Ichigo told her before raising his hand and pointing at Zangetsu. "I'd like my sword back now." Tsunade's gaze turned to the large blade covered in bandages, the small chain at the top simply resting from the hilt. She rose her hand and gripped the handle and raised it up making him narrow his eyes further at her.

"It's well crafted, are you a ninja? What village do you hail from? Mist?" She questioned looking at Ichigo who was death glaring her.

"I'd put Zangetsu down if I were you." Ichigo told her coldly.

"Oh and why's that?" Tsunade asked and before even Kakashi or Tsunade could react Zangetsu was out of Tsunade's hand and she was on the ground Ichigo pushing her down a foot planted in her back holding Zangetsu out to his side.

"Because I told you. That's why." He turned his glare to Kakashi who was staring at him wide eyes, never having seen him move and what was more impressive was he had made Tsunade of the Sannin immobile in mere seconds. "I'm not your enemy, I don't want to fight. I simply brought the girl here because she was injured." He told them both. "The woman that took her asked if I was related, it would have caused a problem if I said I randomly found her. I said she was my sister to avoid that problem. I'm going to let you up now. OK?" He asked looking down at Tsunade who was glaring up at him. "Attack me and I'll level this building to the ground." He told her coldly making her glare harden before she nodded. Ichigo took a step back removing his foot from her back allowing her to push herself up from the ground. He placed Zangetsu on his back. "Now please tell me what the hell this is all about?"

"That girl in there is a subordinate of Orochimaru." Tsunade told him and he only gave her a dead panned stare in return. He turned to Kakashi.

"Am I suppose to know this Orochimaru person?" He saw Kakashi's jaw drop under his mask.

"Orochimaru of the Sannin? S-Class missing nin from the Hidden Leaf? Crazed Scientist dead set on the destruction of the Hidden Leaf? Ringing any bells here?" Tsunade questioned him.

"Nope sorry can't say they are." Ichigo shrugged. "I'm not from around here..." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a bingo book that he had found when he had first met Fu and they had started on there travels together. "Hmm... are these things in alphabetical order?" He questioned holding it up to Tsunade who was resisting the urge to face palm.

"Indeed they are." Kakashi told him reaching into his own pocket and pulling out a small orange book. "Page two hundred and sixty three I imagine." Ichigo nodded and opened the bingo book to the page to see the picture of the snake Sannin.

"So this is that Orochimaru?" He asked showing the picture to Tsunade who nodded her head. "Alright now we're getting somewhere." Ichigo said taking a seat and looking over the profile of Orochimaru. Kakashi jumped over the chairs and took a seat next to him looking through his own book. Tsunade just watched the two reading and sighed before sitting across from them.

"That girl that was injured, was reported dead by several of my Shinobi." Tsunade told Ichigo.

"Well you should find better Shinobi, they did a shit job and if they reported her dead then, why the hell was her body left under a pile of trees?" He asked looking over the top of the book. "Even an enemy deserves a proper burial." He finished with slightly narrowed eyes.

"I'd have to agree with him Lade Tsunade. No one should be left like that. Not even one's worst enemy." Kakashi stated making Tsunade nod her head in agreement.

"With everything that has transpired these last few days, everything has been slow. I understand your concern about the way her body was left like that. My apologies."

"Why are you apologizing to me? I don't even know her." Ichigo told her. "I was just walking by and happened to see a cluster of trees in my way." He shrugged. "You said she's going to make it?" Tsunade nodded her head in agreement. "How did you know she was one of this guy's subordinate's?" Ichigo questioned gesturing to the profile of Orochimaru in his bingo book.

"She has a curse seal, something that only Orochimaru has knowledge of." Kakashi told him flipping a page of his own book. "We knew straight away that she was one of Orochimaru's." There was silence over the three of them before Ichigo spoke up.

"What are you going to do with her?"


	15. Chapter 15

Ichigo leaned up against the wall beside the closed door Zangetsu resting next to him, outside the room was stationed what Tsunade had called Anbu, apparently the top security in the village. Fu was passed out and sprawled out in a chair over the far side of the room, she had been exhausted when she had stumbled into the hospital asking for him. Resting in the bed with machine's hooked up to her was the red headed girl he had found in the forest.

Not long after Fu had arrived she had come out of surgery and Ichigo had been let into the room, well more pushed inside while Tsunade decided what needed to be done. She hadn't answered his question on what they were going to do with the injured girl. He opened the door slightly and saw one of the masked men turn his head slightly and Ichigo sighed before closing the door once more.

Ichigo flicked on the light as the afternoon sun started to descend behind the clouds before walking over to the side of the bed and looked down into the sleeping face of the girl.

"This is a pain in the ass, rescue some girl get put on house arrest... or hospital arrest? I don't know." He groaned to himself pulling a chair from the wall and placing it next to the bed and propping his feet up on the bed careful not to disturb the red head. He leaned back at stared at the ceiling bored out of his mind, if he wanted to he could easily leave the room if the guards tried to stop him, deal with them. But he had Fu to worry about, she was exhausted and needed rest. Plus he didn't feel like starting a fight out of boredom. He closed his eyes hoping sleep would claim him but the earlier three hour nap he had made him completely awake.

"**I'm bored." **His hollow whined.

"Yeah no shit." Ichigo mumbled back. "You're not the only one."

"_**I could always humor you with more jokes."**_ Both Ichigo and his hollow sweat dropped at Zangetsu's suggestion. Luckily both were saved as there was a knock on the door. Ichigo removed his feet from the bed and stood up. He watched as the door opened and Tsunade walked in a chart in hand idly writing on it while she walked into the room and closed the door behind her.

"Sorry about the guard." Tsunade said looking up from the chart. "I know that with your skill you could easily dispatch them, but it's just a formality and mostly for her." She said raising a hand to the girl in the bed. "Her name is Tayuya. In the hidden Sound village she is known as Tayuya of the North Gate. Her and four others recently infiltrated our village and lured a genin away before heading towards Orochimaru. She fought a Genin before aid from Suna came and backed him up. She was defeated by the duo." She explained.

"I don't think I need to know all this do you?" Ichigo questioned.

"You do." Tsunade told him making him raise an eyebrow waiting for an explanation. "You brought her here and placed her under you care while we treated her. She is your responsibilty until she say's otherwise." Ichigo glanced at Tayuya from the corner of his eye to see her still sleeping.

"Fine, how long is she going to be passed out for?" Ichigo questioned. "The sooner we get this crap sorted out the sooner I can leave." Tsunade sighed as she looked Ichigo over, if he had a change in attitude she might have actually liked the kid, but the way he was now. He was an ass.

"Look she just came out of surgery, these things take time even for Shinobi." Ichigo groaned. "Don't groan!" Tsunade snapped at him. "It'll happen when it happens! Stop being so damn impatient!" She growled at him. "Geeze the youth of today."

"You're sounding like an old woman, what are you? Twenty four? Twenty five?" A big grin crossed Tsunade's face.

"You know, I think I might like you after all kid." Tsunade told him. "Anyway, when she wakes up something will have to be done about her curse mark, then about her. Right now I won't do anything since she is unconscious." She told him. _"Plus right now I doubt you'd let me lay a finger on her if it wasn't medically related, no matter what you say about not caring about her."_

"What is this curse mark?" Ichigo questioned. Tsunade placed the chart down on the end of the bed and walked up to Tayuya and propped her up so she was in a sitting position, Tsunade lowered the hospital gown from Tayuya's neck and Ichigo noticed a mark there. He leaned in and saw the mark consisted of three hook like marks almost resembling a triskelion. Tsunade placed the hospital gown back over Tayuya's neck and lowered her back down so she was comfortable.

"It's a seal that grants the user stronger abilities, from what we know it has two stages, the first when the mark grows and covers the body of the user, the second the change is more drastic. From the reports that went after the sound four the skin darkens and they take on demonic forms." Tsunade explained to him.

"**Bunch of hooey if you ask me, just remove the damn thing and get it over and done with."** His hollow muttered.

"Is it possible to remove the seals?" Ichigo questioned slightly agreeing with his hollow. Tsunade simply shook her head.

"Not that we know of, we have a master sealer in our village and he's only been able to lock the seal so it's unusable but never completely remove it. We have another in our village with a curse mark and he's been able to seal hers away. It caused her a lot of pain, the curse mark is gift of power but it causes the user unbearable amounts of pain when inflicted, not many survive the ordeal of being marked with the seal." Ichigo glanced at Tayuya before sitting down in the chair he had been occupying earlier.

"So what happens when she wakes up?" Ichigo questioned making Tsunade sigh as she sat down in a chair turning her attention to the sleeping Fu who was twitching in her sleep.

"Either you will hand her over to us, we will interrogate her for information in exchange for sparing her life. If she resists interrogation or refuses to give any information she will be executed. If you don't hand her over to us, we will ask for her aid against Orochimaru. You've already proven yourself you'd me more trouble do deal with then it's worth. We just came out of a war, we don't want to go against where ever you're from." She noticed Ichigo frowned at that but said nothing of it. Both heard a groan come from the unconscious girl making Tsunade stand up and walk to the side and saw that she was waking up as the anesthesia wore off from the operation. She coughed and groaned once more before her eyes opened. Her eyes were dazed as she looked around the room, surveying everything.

"The fuck am I." She mumbled out. "Fucking Suna rat, I'll kill the slut next time I see her." Ichigo shot Tsunade a look who was rubbing her eyebrow in frustration, already annoyed at the girls colorful vocabulary. The busty blonde walked to her bedside.

"Something to drink?" She questioned making the red head look up at her.

"Yeah I'm fucking parched." She groaned trying to sit up only for her to wince as she tried to move her legs. She growled a little as Tsunade placed a pitcher of water by her bed and went to help her sit up. "Don't fucking touch me! I can do it myself!" She snapped making Tsunade nod her head and both Ichigo and Tsunade watched as Tayuya lifted herself up before sliding back in the bed so she was sitting up right. "Now where the fuck am I?" She questioned looking around the room seeing the three people present. Tsunade placed a glass of water in her hand.

"Drink." She simply told her. Tayuya rose the glass and drank the water with a sigh of relief. She lowered the glass and slumped forward a little looking at her legs that were covered by the sheet.

"How bad?"

"Nothing that won't heal in time." Tsunade told her. "It will take time though." Tayuya nodded her head before she turned to Ichigo who was looking at her with a bored look.

"Something wrong fucker?" Tayuya asked him, Ichigo just continued to look at her. "Hey I fucking asked you a question!" She shouted bringing Ichigo out of his thoughts.

"I'm sorry what?" He questioned making Tsunade smirk slightly while Tayuya glared at him.

"Listen to when someone's fucking talking to you!" She growled out only for Ichigo to wave it off. "Where am I anyway?" Tayuya questioned looking between both Tsunade and Ichigo.

"The hidden leaf." Tsunade told her.

"Fuck." Tayuya muttered. "I thought I was dead for sure but instead the pineapple fucking bastard brought me back as a prisoner. Didn't know he had the balls. Gutless prick couldn't finish me himself is that it?"

"Shikamaru had nothing to do with you being here." Tsunade told her. "He did." She finished gesturing to Ichigo who was simply looking at her again, lost in thought, or that's what they thought. He was actually having a conversation with his hollow.

"**Just trust me on this, I can so do it."**

"_I don't give a shit, you're not taking over."_

"**It won't even be for a fucking minute! Nut up already!"**

"_Zangetsu what do you think?"_

"_**It won't be hard to take control back if he didn't do what he said he's going to do."**_

"_Ugh! Fine! But I want to talk to her first alright?"_ With that Ichigo's vision was filled with a fist that came straight from Tayuya which he simply ducked underneath. "Something wrong?" He asked making her narrow her eyes at him.

"Yeah you fucker, you dodged." Tayuya glared at him.

"Yeah no shit, it's what people usually do when they're about to get hit." Ichigo snapped back at her.

"_Yeah... the thing is... she already threw a glass at your head."_ Tsunade thought as she saw the pieces of glass scattered around Ichigo yet no visible cut on Ichigo's forehead where the glass had connected.

"Anyway..." Ichigo trailed off rubbing his forehead wandering why it was slightly stinging. "So can we figure out what we're going to do now?" Ichigo asked turning to Tsunade who nodded her head. Tayuya looked between the two of them and suspected what they were going on about involved her.

"Oh Ichigo-sensei... you devil you... I never knew you to be so dirty..." Ichigo face palmed as Fu was muttering in her sleep. Tsunade and Tayuya simply looked at the girl with raised eyebrows before turning back to Ichigo.

"Long story, don't ask." Ichigo simply told them before standing up and looking down at Tayuya before turning to Tsunade. "Look, I'm all for the interrogating part, it's what you have to do. I get that, but what happens after you've interrogated her and she gave you the correct information?"

"Her curse mark will be sealed along with her chakra points." Tsunade told him. "For two years she will be imprisoned and only be let out on probation and constantly monitored for twenty four months prior to her release. If anything seems out of order she will be immediately executed." Ichigo narrowed his eyes slightly and shook his head.

"You told me you'd spare her life. That doesn't sound like any sought of life I'd want to live in. That takes at least four years away from her." Ichigo told her. "That's bullshit."

"There is no trust between enemies." Tsunade told him. "She worked for Orochimaru, fought against us aided in killing the former Hokage. She's lucky she's even getting that." Ichigo glanced at Tayuya who had her head lowered, her hair covering her eyes.

"Then I'm not releasing her into your custody." Ichigo simply told her. "To give you everything you wanted in return for possible death? That's a load of crap. You can get the information out of her and that's all. Try anything and I'll level the entire village."

"For one girl?" Tsunade asked shocked.

"No." Ichigo told. "Simply because what you're saying is wrong." Tsunade looked at him then down at the wide eyed Tayuya who was staring up at Ichigo who had threatened the entire Hidden Leaf's destruction simply because she had been threatened.

"Very well, she won't be harmed." Tayuya's jaw dropped as she turned to Tsunade wandering how the hell he had made a threat like that and made the Hokage actually agree to his terms on an outrageous threat such as that.

"_Who the hell is this guy?"_ The red head thought to herself.

"Oh wrong hole Ichigo-sensei... I didn't say stop..." Ichigo growled at Fu who was now drooling on her arm.

"_Apparently a massive pervert."_ Tayuya finished her thought as she glanced over to the green haired teen sleeping on the chair. _"And who the fuck is the girl!?"_

"The only thing I request is her curse mark being sealed." Tsunade said. Ichigo glanced to Tsunade and simply shrugged. Tsunade walked to the door and opened it. "Bring me Anko, immediately." Ichigo simply sat back in his chair and pulled out the bingo book and looked through it simply because he was bored. Tsunade closed the door and walked to where she had placed the chart she had been filling out and once more began to write down on it while Tayuya simply sat in her hospital bed.

"Is nobody going to tell me who the fuck this guy is?" She asked pointing at Ichigo, both Tsunade and Ichigo looked up at her before ignoring her making her grit her teeth as they went back to doing what they were doing. "DON'T FUCKING IGNORE ME!" She screamed in irritation before Ichigo looked up at her. "You want to say something fuck face!?" She growled at him, he only rose his finger to his lips.

"We're in a hospital, be quiet." Tayuya's jaw dropped before her eyebrow twitched.

"Did you just tell me to shut up?" She growled at him.

"No but I can if you'd like." Ichigo suggested. Tayuya gritted her teeth and continued to glare at Ichigo hoping somehow that her glare would at least intimidate him somewhat, she was one of Orochimaru's elite four! That had to count for something right?! She was probably even in that bingo book he was reading. She scoffed before turning away.

Ichigo glanced at Tsunade who was trying not to grin as she continued with her paperwork. Before long the door was barged open making three heads turn in the direction to see Anko standing there a big grin on her face as a stick of dango hung out of her mouth with her hands on her hips and Ichigo could swear he could smell sake on her breath all the way from where he was sitting.

"Yo! Lady Tsunade heard you had a job for me!" Anko grinned at Tsunade who sighed in annoyance at the female Shinobi's drunken state.

"Snap out of it Anko, if I don't get to be drunk then neither do you." Anko pouted before taking a deep breath and nodding her head.

"Alright, what's the job?" She questioned. "And why are we in a hospital? Shouldn't this be done of at T and I department?"

"Usually yes but this is a special case." Tsunade said pointing to Ichigo and Tayuya. "Get the information from the girl without touching her."

"That takes all the fun out of it Lady Tsunade! Plus I'm no good at Genjutsu!" She whined.

"I meant simply ask the question hopefully get the answer, she isn't to be harmed in anyway, no jutsu at all. It's a simple interrogation. I'm sure she'd be happy to tell everything she knows on Orochimaru." Anko's face turned serious at the mention of her old teacher. She turned to Tayuya who met her gaze with one of her own. "We can wait for Kakashi to come and seal her curse mark if you'd like before the interrogation."

"No need." Ichigo said standing up making Tsunade raise an eyebrow, Ichigo just knew he was going to regret this. "I'll do it."

"Huh?" Came from the three conscious woman in the room.

"Half an hour ago you didn't know what a damn curse mark was. Now you're saying you can seal it?" Tsunade asked.

"No I can't seal it. I'll completely remove it." Tayuya's and Anko's eyes were wide as they stared at him with shocked expressions. "Shouldn't take long." He said as he turned to Tayuya and motioned for her to scoot forward on the bed which she did so with slight difficulty because of her legs. Ichigo sat behind her cross legged and Tayuya pulled her long red hair over her shoulder revealing her neck to him where her curse mark was.

"Can he really remove it Lady Tsunade?" Anko questioned as she stared at Ichigo with wide eyes.

"Honesty, I'm not sure what this kid is capable of." Tsunade admitted. Tayuya looked over her shoulder at him and Ichigo looked her in the eye with a slightly curious expression as he saw that she wanted to say something.

"Yeah?" He asked.

"If you can remove it, fully remove it, I'll fuck you senseless I swear to god I will." Tayuya told him making Ichigo's face go slightly red at that, hearing Fu come out with things like that was one thing but to hear it from others... that was something different entirely.

"**Well that just gives me more of a reason to remove it doesn't it?"** Ichigo gritted his teeth as he felt his hollow coming to the surface. Tayuya looked back to Anko and Tsunade before she felt Ichigo's warm breath on the back of her neck over the mark. She was about to question what he was doing before she felt his lips touch her neck over the seal. Her eyes shot wide open and her body started to shake uncontrollably, both Tsunade and Anko watched as the girls eyes rolled into the back of her head. Her breath was labored as she was looking up at the ceiling with blank eyes before Ichigo pulled back from her neck.

"Must be one hell of a hickey." Anko breathed out. They watched as Ichigo sat up straight his eyes closed and his mouth opened before black vapor poured from his mouth and disappeared into the air.

"I didn't know you were going to do that you asshole." Both Tsunade and Anko raised an eyebrow wandering who Ichigo was talking to as he wiped his mouth. He leaned over the back of Tayuya and grabbed a glass of water before filling it up and took a mouthful of it before spitting it back into the glass revealing it had turned black. "Fucking horrible." He muttered out. Tsunade walked over to where Tayuya and Ichigo were sitting and saw that the seal was just ink now, she rose a finger and ran it down through the now wet ink and it simply wiped away, noticing the shudder that flowed through Tayuya.

"It's gone." Tsunade told them.

"That's one hell of an orgasm face." Anko smirked as Tayuya came back down before glaring at the snake mistress her breathing still heavy,a mild blush across her cheeks. Anko walked towards the back of Tayuya and saw that same as Tsunade had, the curse mark was gone. Ichigo got up from where he was seated behind Tayuya and moved back to his chair only for Anko to jump in his lap and wrap her arms around his neck.

"Uh... hi." Ichigo said, not really knowing what to say. Anko simply smirked at him before letting her tan coat fall to the ground making Ichigo raise an eyebrow.

"You see... I've got the same sought of mark." Anko told him. "Mind doing me a favor?" Ichigo looked up at Tsunade who was still mulling her thoughts over.

"If you could help Anko, we'd be in your debt Ichigo." Tsunade told him.

"Ichigo huh?" Anko asked. "It suits you." Ichigo rose a hand up and rubbed his forehead. He looked into Anko's eyes and saw underneath the grin she was giving him, she really wanted it gone and was hoping he could do it.

"_Think you got another one in you?"_ Ichigo questioned his hollow.

"**You better fuck one of them!"** His hollow growled out in irritation. Ichigo simply nodded and Anko's grin turned into a serene smile. She turned to Tsunade who smiled back at her and nodded her head. Anko stood up and Ichigo noticed the only thing covering her modesty was a mesh body suit, he could even see the outline of her nipples underneath the mesh, just. She smiled and walked into the bathroom.

"Be back in a second." She told them making Ichigo sigh and look to Tayuya who was still calming down from what she had just experienced.

"How you holding up?" Tsunade asked her walking to her side.

"Fine." Tayuya said in a tone that showed she was exhausted. "Ugh, I think I fucked one of my legs up." Tsunade nodded and removed the blanket. "The left one." Tsunade immediately went to work on any injury that Tayuya had caused in her thrashing about. Soon enough the adjacent bathroom door opened and Ichigo looked up to see Anko standing there in a towel, all her clothing removed.

"It's easier then simply finding a way of pulling the mesh down to where the mark is." Anko shrugged and walked over to Ichigo. She turned around and knelt with her back to him and Ichigo could see her curse mark on her left shoulder just lower then her neck. Ichigo pushed the chair backwards and knelt behind Anko and looked up to see Tsunade still healing Tayuya's leg, the red head was looking down at them.

He turned his attention back to Anko who was already breathing in rapid succession. Ichigo felt his hollow coming to the surface again and closed his eyes to make it so that neither Tsunade or Tayuya saw his eyes change. He lent forward and planted his lips on Anko's curse mark only for the effects to be completely instantaneous.

"Fuck!" Anko groaned out, her body shaking uncontrollably. Her body writhed underneath Ichigo's touch and Ichigo actually had to reach up and wrap an arm around Anko's waist to her shoulder to stop her from moving to much, where Tayuya was mostly restricted Anko was not. Her body bucked back into him and she hunched forward, Ichigo going with her, his lips never leaving the curse mark before she fell forward onto the floor and Ichigo moved away and spat onto the ground, it being black and the same vapor from before coming from his mouth. He sighed and wiped his mouth on the back of his palm looking down at Anko.

"I can't remember the last time I came that hard." Anko moaned on the ground making Ichigo blush. "I bed you're a demon in the sack." Ichigo didn't respond still trying to get the foul taste out of his mouth.

"_How did you even know you could remove the seal?"_ Ichigo questioned his inner hollow.

"**Tch, I know a damn soul when I see one King."** His hollow muttered in response. **"I'm a hollow and what do hollows devour?"**

"_That's fucking gross."_

"**Don't worry I didn't devour what ever the fuck that thing was, it was damn nasty. We spat it out before it could even think about being devoured. The thing probably would have had some nasty side effect on us."**

"_**Indeed It would have."**_ Zangetsu agreed.

"So what now? Interrogation time?" Ichigo questioned turning to look at Tsunade.

"Fuck that, I'm exhausted." Anko moaned from on the ground. "Interrogation can wait until tomorrow, I came like there was no tomorrow so I'm up for a sleep." Tsunade sighed as she saw one of her elite jounin on the ground in an orgasmic mess.

"Anko, clean yourself up and go home. Make sure to be here tomorrow morning for the interrogation."

"Sure thing boss." Anko sighed picking herself up from the ground on shaky legs and walking into the bathroom. Once the door closed a loud laugh came from behind the closed door. "Fuck I'm soaked!" Ichigo blushed while Tsunade face palmed.

"Do you need a shower Tayuya?" Tsunade questioned looking down at the girl who adverted her eyes, her hands fideting in her lap. "I'll have a nurse come up and help you." She said and all Tayuya did was nod.


	16. Chapter 16

Ichigo yawned and opened his eyes, he had slept on the floor of the hospital room, as uncomfortable as it had been, it was actually a half decent sleep. He stretched his arms out above his head with a grunt before sitting up and stretching his legs before standing and looking across the room before stopping. Where was Fu and Tayuya? He heard something out in the hall and walked to the door, shooting Zangetsu a glance wandering if he would need him but shrugged and opened the door. He saw the two Anbu standing outside his door and both breathed a sigh of defeat.

"The hell is wrong with you two?" Ichigo questioned. The obvious female turned to look at him, a cat like mask on her face with long purple hair.

"It's your two charges. They've been causing havoc all throughout the hospital." She explained to him.

"Tayuya has two broken legs, and Fu's a moron, how much trouble could they possibly get into?" Ichigo questioned.

"Out of the way Ichigo-sensei!" A scream came from down the hall. The three looked down the exact hallway to see both Fu and Tayuya in wheelchairs speeding down grins on there faces. The two Anbu sighed once more before Ichigo walked out into the hall and as both sped passed him he grabbed the both backs of the wheelchairs almost making both girls fly out but they had managed to stay in.

"Hey watch it!" Tayuya snapped. "I'm a cripple! I could have fucking broken my legs all over again!" Ichigo simply smacked her in the back of the head.

"If you're a cripple then stay in bed!" He growled down at her. "Why do I have an idea that this was somehow your doing?" He questioned turning to Fu who was grinning up in her chair. He sighed before pointing to the door. "Take Tayuya and put her back in bed. No more of these damn nuisances alright?" Tayuya scoffed and folded her arms as Fu pouted at being scolded and rose from her chair and pushed Tayuya into the room. Ichigo sighed and turned to the two Anbu.

"You're a life saver." The cat like Anbu told him. "We were instructed not to leave this spot, however that Fu... she has a crafty way of getting you to do things she wants..." Ichigo slumped slightly.

"Don't I know it." Ichigo mumbled. "Later." The two Anbu nodded and Ichigo walked back into the room before a shout stopped him. Ichigo along with the two Anbu looked down the hall to see Anko walking down a grin on her face, and after seeing Ichigo, a skip in her step.

"Yo, Ichigo." She waved. "Morning."

"Oh hey... what was your name again?" Ichigo questioned making Anko stumble in her step slightly.

"Right we were never properly introduced!" She laughed rubbing the back of her head sheepishly as she turned to Yugao. "This guy gave me a mind blowing orgasm with just his mouth, damn impressive no?"

"Anko, I don't want to hear about your sex life while I'm on duty." Yugao sighed making Anko grin. "Or at all." At that Anko pouted before turning to Ichigo with a grin.

"I'm the one and only Anko Mitarashi! At your service, or you could be at mine." She winked at him making him sigh before he held the door open for her. "My what a gentlemen, you don't see that everyday."

"Get in there before I kick your ass in there."

"Oh kinky. I can handle rough." Ichigo walked into the room Anko went to go in as well before the door slammed in her face. "Oh come on! I was just kidding! I can deal with it gentle too! It doesn't have to be rough!"

"Anko what are you doing?" Tsunade asked making the special jounin turn to face her and Kakashi who was reading his infamous orange book.

"Yo! Boss Lady, Kakashi!" She cheered. "Ichigo's just a bit upset because he doesn't know my tastes in bed. I'm willing to try all." Both Anko and Tsunade watched as Kakashi cleared his throat before unconsciously wiping under his nose that was still covered with his mask.

"Something wrong Kakashi?" Tsunade asked him.

"Ah no, I'm fine. Naruto's still here so I think I should go see him, maybe lift his spirit's a little." He said turning and walking away.

"Chicken shit!" Anko called out after him with a grin. "He reads so much porn he can't handle a real woman anymore." Tsunade simply shook her head before gesturing to the door and Anko grinned and opened it walking inside. "Sup bitches! Anko's back!"

"Welcome back!" Fu cheered making everyone sweat drop.

"Do I know you kid?" Anko asked looking at the mint green haired teen.

"No but you said you were back so welcome back!" She cheered again. Anko turned to Ichigo with a questioning look.

"Few to many screws loose." Ichigo shrugged making Anko grin.

"Well kid! I'm Anko!" Anko cheered.

"I'm Fu!" Fu cheered in return. Ichigo sweat dropped as he saw the two interacting with one another. The last thing he needed was Fu hanging around someone like Anko. Tsunade sighed before taking a seat in a chair.

"Anko if you don't mind, I have places to be. I'm the Hokage after all." Tsunade told her.

"I call bullshit!" Anko laughed. "You're just going to go back to your office and drink the rest of the day away and pass out before reports or anything else even crosses your mind! I know how you operate lady!"

"You're speaking to the Hokage!" Tsunade shouted.

"Yeah well bite me!" Anko laughed. "But I guess I should get us that information." She turned to Tayuya who was simply watching all the interactions between everyone. "Alright kido, spill it." Tayuya didn't hesitate. She gave them everything she knew, now that her curse mark was gone, she had no fear of being found. Orochimaru would think she was dead and it was all thanks to... the moron sleeping in the corner of the room. The entire time she had been giving them locations of bases or plans she knew of or anything she was asked and could answer, Ichigo had been asleep like he didn't even care for the information. It was over three hours later when Anko groaned and placed a pile of paper next to her and placed her pencil behind her ear, she was sitting at the end of Tayuya's bed legs crossed and barefoot, now rubbing her temples. Tsunade had left some time ago, Ichigo was still assumed asleep and Fu was reading a book.

"This is more information on Orochimaru then Lord Jiraiya has given us in the last three years." Anko yawned. "This is much appreciated." Tayuya simply shrugged and turned away.

"It's worth it to get that damn seal off my body." The red head muttered in return. Both Anko and Tayuya glanced at Ichigo out of the corner of their eyes wandering how he had removed the curse marks exactly, even if they wanted to pry and ask how and why, they didn't know if they should.

"Hey!" Fu shouted noticing the gazes the two were shooting at Ichigo. "Eye's off! I'm Ichigo-sensei's wife!" She exclaimed before Anko's discarded boot hit her in the head making her whine and turn with teary eyes to Ichigo who's eyebrow was twitching in annoyance.

"How many times do I have to tell you we're not married!" Ichigo shouted.

"But Ichigo-sensei!" Fu whined.

"No!"

"Aww... you're so mean Ichigo-sensei. Grand Sensei Zangetsu is much nicer then you are."

"Then go learn from him." Ichigo mumbled.

"_**Ichigo, no, that's not going to happen."**_ Zangetsu said making Ichigo grin widely. _**"What ever you're thinking stop it!"**_ Tayuya, Anko and Fu all watched as a grin came to Ichigo's face and the three were slightly creeped out by it I mean, who just grins like that for no reason?

"Yeah I'm so getting you back for that time in the hidden cloud when you you made fun of me with Konan in the room." Ichigo grinned to himself.

"I think he's lost it..." Tayuya said.

"Who's Konan?" Anko questioned.

"Nobody." Ichigo said suddenly snapping Fu out of what she was about to say about that Akatsuki. Ichigo didn't know how much the Hidden Leaf knew about the organization but he had promised he wouldn't tell anyone about them. "Anyway, Fu what time is it?"

"Ah..." Fu trailed of trying to think of the time.

"Around Lunch time." Anko shrugged.

"Ugh, I don't think I could handle another crap meal from the cafeteria, it's like slop." Tayuya groaned out.

"I'm starving!" Fu laughed. "Let's go get something to eat!"

"Sounds good." Anko laughed. "Let's go! Coming cripple?"

"Get me the damn wheelchair and don't call me a fucking cripple!" The red head snapped at her. Fu placed the chair next to her bed and Tayuya was able to get into it herself after snapping at Fu a few times that she didn't need any help. Anko and Ichigo made there way down the hallway hearing Tayuya and Fu talking behind them, mostly Fu talking while Tayuya swore at something eveyr now and again.

"So Mr Protector, what's your story?" Anko asked as she walked out into the sunlight beside Ichigo, feeling as if she should get to know the strange teen that had removed the curse mark from her body. She turned to Ichigo only to see him shrug.

"No story really." Ichigo told her. "I'm probably the most boring person you could find."

"I call bullshit." She grinned. "You removed a seal that not even the Leaf's most hardened seal master could remove and you did it in seconds with your mouth. I wouldn't call that type of power boring."

"Would you believe me if I said I was a candy shop owner?" Ichigo smirked only to get a dead panned stare in return. "Sorry, long story." He sighed, his thoughts now filled with the man who had pulled the lie of numerous times before. _"Maybe I should get a hat and fan and act like Kisuke did, they everybody would just leave me alone and think I was a hermit. Then I might be able to get some peace."_

"What village do you come from originally? Fu comes from the hidden waterfall right?" She asked looking over her shoulder to see Fu now pushing a pissed off Tayuya.

"Yeah that's right." Ichigo nodded. "I'm from across the ocean."

"Oh a foreigner huh?" She smirked. "I just know you'd be a rough ride."

"Please stop talking as if I'm a horse."

"Well if you're hung like one I can't promise anything." She winked at him as he sent her a slight glare making her grin. "Sorry I'll stop." She told him. "You know what? We should totally go to a hot spring."

"Why on earth would I agree to that?" Ichigo questioned.

"I know a great unisex one." She winked.

"I'm going to have to put you down if you keep acting as if you're in heat." Ichigo growled.

"Woof... woof." She grinned raising her eyebrows at him suggestively. "I know a place where I can get a puppy costume if that's your thing." Ichigo groaned and stormed off. "The place has lot's of costumes if doggy style isn't your position!" Anko called out after him. "Fu you're sensei's a prude!"

"I know!" Fu called back. "You just got to keep chipping away! I've already managed to coax him into letting me sleep in the same bed as him!"

"You have, have you?" Anko grinned.


	17. Chapter 17

Tayuya sat on the grass, her back against a tree with her legs laying out straight in thick plaster casts. Her wheelchair sat next to her as she watched Ichigo and Fu look through their belongings, both clearly irritated- well, Ichigo more irritated then Fu, who was smiling.

"Gah, where is it! I told you to pack it!" Ichigo groaned out in annoyance.

"I did!" Fu whined back at him. "I just can't remember what bag I put it in! Stop being a meanie, Ichigo-sensei!"

Tayuya sighed. The two had practically emptied their bags searching for something. She had no idea what it was that they were searching for, but apparently it was important to Fu's training. She had gathered that much at least.

"You had better not have left it with the others." Ichigo told her.

"No! I didn't do that! They already have swords, they wouldn't need mine." Fu pouted at him.

"_Others? Swords? Just what are those two going on about?"_ Tayuya thought to herself.

Earlier Ichigo and Fu had told Tayuya that they were going to go look around the village and maybe find somewhere to do a bit of training. Not wanting to be stuck in a hospital room all day bored out of her skull, she demanded that she be allowed to come with them. With a grunt from Ichigo and a cheer from Fu, they had found her a wheelchair.

Even now she could sense the Anbu that had been stationed outside her door watching them. They weren't exactly hiding from view or keeping their chakra signatures hidden- they wanted to be known that they were there, just to show her that she was still under the village's watch.

"It's not here." Ichigo sighed in annoyance. "How am I going to teach you to wield a sword if we don't have swords to practice with?"

Fu pouted before shoving her arms up and falling backwards before flailing about in the grass.

"I don't know!" Fu cried. "I wanted to fight Ichigo-sensei again! You're so strong."

Ichigo sighed before his eyes began to wonder over Fu's body and his eye twitched slightly as he saw what they were looking for.

When Fu had flung herself backwards, her shirt had lowered slightly. Even though Ichigo should have expected something like this, he couldn't fathom why the hell the scroll they had been looking for was located between Fu's small breasts, resting underneath the clip of her bra. Ichigo actually thought he was going to scream his insanity out to the world. However, he calmed himself down while taking several deep breaths.

"Fu." She immediately sat up with a grin and folded her legs so they were crossed as she stared at him.

"Yes, Ichigo-sensei? I'm ready to hear your apology." Ichigo's eyebrow twitched.

"Check your shirt." Fu looked down and rose the hem of her shirt up and looked at it making Ichigo face-palm. "Fu, the scroll is in between your breasts."

Fu's eyes widened before a grin came to her face and she reached down her top and pulled the scroll out with a cheer.

"I put it there so I wouldn't lose it!" She laughed. "But I guess I forgot." She chuckled rubbing the back of her head. Ichigo rubbed his forehead in irritation while he heard Tayuya face-palm from where she was sitting under the tree not that far away.

"Alright!" she cheered and unwrapped the scroll before placing it down on the ground and placing her hand on it flooding it with Chakra before a poof of smoke covered the area.

Tayuya sighed as she saw smoke began to clear before her eyes widened slightly and a sweat drop formed on the back of her head. When she had heard them mention swords, she thought maybe she was a dual wielder or something; however, there were hundreds of wooden swords piled up high.

"Alright, Ichigo-sensei! Let's get started!" Fu cheered, grabbing the hilt of two of the wooden swords and pulling them from the pile making it collapse into a smaller pile. Ichigo walked over to the pile and grabbed one himself.

Tayuya watched as the two walked further out into the training area before she shrugged, crawled across the grass and grabbed a wooden sword before crawling back to her seat underneath the tree. She rose it above her head with both hands before swinging downwards.

"What's so good about a dumb-ass sword anyway?" she questioned out loud before her eyes traveled to Zangetsu. She could have sworn she saw a pale face in the reflection of the blade grinning at her. Her eyes widened, then the face was gone and she looked out to see Fu already running back to the pile of swords, her first two having already snapped in half.

Fu grabbed another sword before flipping over the pile. Her eyes widened as she saw Ichigo appear above her, sword raised high above his head as he came down. She managed to roll to the side as the wooden blade slammed into the ground, sending a shock wave before crumbling out into a crater. The wooden blade snapped, causing Ichigo to throw it away and reach out for another before raising it up. Fu, sweating slightly, eyed the massive crater Ichigo had made with that one swing.

"Hehe... I think training is over for today Ichigo-sensei." She chuckled nervously, the swords in her hands shaking in fear. She hadn't seen Ichigo use this much strength in a spar before, and he didn't seem all that happy at the moment.

"Fu." Ichigo called out, his voice hard. "I'm your teacher correct?" he questioned and she nodded her head. "There are times, Fu, when I will protect you. When I can protect you." he continued resting the wooden sword up on his shoulder. "However, there may come a time when I can't protect you. You need to be strong enough when that time comes to protect yourself."

Fu frowned at that. She always wanted to be by Ichigo's side; if he wasn't there to protect her... where would he be?

"But Ichigo-sensei..." she tried to say but Ichigo shook his head stopping her from continuing.

"Remember the Akatsuki, Fu?" he questioned and she nodded her head, remembering what Ichigo had told her about the organization, how they were after the tailed beasts. "That is what you need to protect yourself from." he told her. "I can't continue to hold back in our spars, we're training, if I'm not pushing you to your limits I'm not doing my duty as a teacher."

Fu lowered her head.

"Raise your swords." Fu did so, her hands still shaking as she slid into the formation B had explained for a two sword style.

"Stop shaking." Ichigo commanded her, making her hands jolt for a second... but the trembling didn't stop.

She was afraid, and had every right to be. She had seen how Ichigo had fought B the first time, he had taken on the eight tails and won. How was she meant to go up against something like that?

"I... I can't... Ichigo-sensei." Fu managed to get out lowering her swords. "I... I can't do this."

Her eyes widened as Ichigo appeared before her inches away from her. "Ichigo-sensei..." she breathed out as she stared up into his cold brown eyes.

"I'm disappointed, Fu." he said, making her wince and advert her gaze from his. "You only exhibit fear; when you counter it's because you fear being killed, when you attack you fear killing, and when you try to protect someone, you fear you could let them die. At this point the only thing your body speaks of is senseless fright." Her eyes widened at that. "And that's not good; what you don't need in battle is fear. Nothing will come of it. When you counter, you don't let them cut you. If you protect someone, you don't let them die. When you attack, you kill. Understand?"

Fu looked up into his eyes to see them glowing blue, and her eyes widened as they glowed brighter. "Can't you see? My sheer resolve to kill you is shown in my eyes."

"Ichigo..." Fu whimpered making him narrow his eyes.

"Cast away your fears!" he roared making her take a step back in fear. "Why are you running away!?"

She turned to flee and only got around ten meters away before a massive force pressed down on her making her stop.

"Abandon your fear!" Ichigo yelled at her. "There is only one enemy and one of you! What are you so afraid of?!" Fu looked at him over his shoulder. "We have the same weapon! We're evenly matched, so why do you run?!" he continued. "Is running away all that you can do? Did you run from your village? Is that why you're with me? Because you were afraid of them?!" Her eyes widened. "Or did you cast the fear of your village out?!"

"I'M NOT AFRAID!" Fu screamed, turning and facing him raising both blades up... making Ichigo grin as he saw her once orange eyes glowing green.

"_She's found that same resolve."_ Ichigo thought to himself, remembering back to how he had found it as well. Ichigo raised his sword above his head, the area around him condensing with his resolve alone. Fu held her swords out to her side, the air condensing around her- not with Spiritual pressure like Ichigo, but with chakra. Her eyes glowing green with her resolve before both dashed forward. She swung back with both swords as Ichigo's sword came down before the three met in Fu's block before all three of them snapped under the intense pressure.

Fu's eyes widened and she looked up to see Ichigo smiling at her.

"Ichigo-sensei?" she questioned.

"You did great, Fu." he told her before she buried her head into his chest and cried, wrapping her arms around him. He chuckled lightly and, for the first time, wrapped her in a hug. "Maybe I shouldn't have been so harsh on you about it, but you needed to know these things." Fu nodded her head, not taking her face away from his chest. "We'll leave it there for today. We can pick up where we left off tomorrow, alright?"

"Ok." she told him, pulling back from the hug and smiling at him while wiping her eyes. "You taught me a lot today, Ichigo-sensei." Ichigo just chuckled before a grin came to his face.

"You know, half of what I said to you Zangetsu said to me." Her eyes widened slightly. "Just think of it as Zangetsu helping you too, alright?"

"Alright." She smiled before gaining a thoughtful look. "If Grand Sensei Zangetsu said one half, who said the other half?"

Ichigo smiled while patting her on the head.

"An old friend of mine. He taught me how to fight from the very beginning." Ichigo told her before picking up the discarded broken hilts and threw them off into the forest. "Go seal all the swords back into the scroll, and keep an eye on it this time."

"Yes, Ichigo-sensei." Fu smiled, going about what Ichigo had asked her to do. Ichigo walked over to Zangetsu and grabbed the hilt, pulling it from the earth before placing it on his back. He looked over at Tayuya, who was watching him.

"Something wrong?" he questioned.

"Your methods are pretty cold." Tayuya snorted. "But you did it well, showing her that even in a spar you attack to kill." Ichigo nodded as both watched Fu go about collecting the wooden swords. "Who exactly are you?" she questioned folding her arms and turning her attention back to him.

"Just your run-of-the-mill straggler." He shrugged. "Trust me," He grinned down at her, "You wouldn't believe the real story."

She huffed, unfolded her arms and went to pull herself up into the wheelchair, since she had suspected that they were going to go back to the hospital now.

"Need some help?"

"Fuck no." she growled as she pulled herself up... only for her leg to get caught in the wheel, making her groan in pain. The red-head suddenly felt weightless. Upon checking, she saw Ichigo picking her up and placing her down like she weighed nothing at all.

"If you don't accept help from time to time, no one's ever going to like you." Ichigo told her.

"Like I give a shit!" she growled at him before noticing he had crouched down in front of her and looking at her legs. "What the fuck are you doing?! Pervert!"

"I'm not a pervert." Ichigo sighed in annoyance. "I was seeing if you had damaged your legs further; but they seem to be alright."

"You ready, Fu?" he called out to see Fu shoving the scroll back down her shirt with a grin.

"Ready, Ichigo-sensei!" Fu cheered, rushing over to them. Ichigo nodded and picked up his pack, then placed it on his back. Fu was doing the same when the three felt a distortion in the air just before a slight breeze came through and Kakashi arrived, reading his little orange book- which then he flicked closed and rose his hand up.

"Yo." the Copy-nin greeted with a smile and looking over the crater Ichigo had made with a simple attack. "Training?" he questioned.

"Just finishing up." Ichigo nodded in agreement. "Something you need?" he questioned in return, wondering why the jounin had suddenly appeared.

"Oh, nothing much." He waved it off with a smile. "Just that Lady Tsunade would like to speak with you. I'd be happy to show you the way to the Hokage tower, since you haven't had much time to explore the village yet."

Ichigo rose an eyebrow at that. Were they really keeping that much of an eye on him?

"_Well, I did threaten to level the village..." _he thought to himself. _"Now that I think about it, that may have been a little over the top."_ He sweat-dropped.

"Gladly. Lead the way. Fu, take Tayuya back to the hospital, would you?" he asked, turning to her.

"Of course, Ichigo-sensei!" Fu saluted before going around Tayuya and gripping the hilts of her wheelchair. "Let's go!"

Both Kakashi and Ichigo heard a "Hey! I can do it myself!" as the two disappeared from view down the street. Ichigo turned back to Kakashi who was eye-smiling at him.

"Shall we go?" the jounin questioned. Ichigo just nodded.

**Beta'd by Kurama's Foxy Rose**


End file.
